Housos
by Vervaine
Summary: A teen-aged Goku finds himself suddenly living in a new, very strange home, with the threat of a new school and school mates on the horizon. Will it all turn out okay, or has his sudden relative poverty ruined his life once and for all? Starts of mainly Goku centric but will introduce the others soon. Characters will be a bit horrible at first, sorry. AU. G/C, V/B, K/18.
1. Chapter 1 - World Coming Down

AN - I know, I know, "Not another high school fic" right? Well, mine a little different. It starts off a bit wobbly, but gets better. Trust me :)

Chapter 1 – World Coming Down

The summer sun beat mercilessly down on the roof of the car as it made it's way to the parking lot of the public housing estate. Goku stared out of the car's window at his new home. He decided at once that he didn't like it at all.

It was an ugly, grey building, some five storeys tall and in serious need of repair. Thinking about living there made him want to cry. Not that he would, of course. Especially not in front of Radditz, but his older brother was already getting out of the car and besides he hardly paid any attention to his younger sibling anyway.

Deciding he had delayed the inevitable long enough Goku got out of the car and went to help his father with their bags. Bardock barely waited for him to heft the first case before starting for their new home. Struggling under the weight of both his and Radditz's bags Goku followed slowly, cursing again that his life had come to this.

He dragged his feet as he made his way across the parking lot and then up the worn concrete steps that wound their way around the outside of the building. As the three men made their way up to the third floor appartment that would now be their home, curious neighbours looked out at them from behind their curtains or, as some of the more bold ones did, came outside to stand in their front doorways to frown at the Son family as they passed by.

A mulitude of aromas, some enticing smells of foods Goku had never smelt before, some ciggaretes and the unmistakable smell of alcohol wafted all around the complex. It was accompanied by a cacophany of noise, tellies blaring and people arguing the predominant ones. It made Goku despair inside about what sort of place they were now to live in. And, more importantly, what sort of neighbours they now had.

It had been a very rough year for the Son men. First in December of the previous year Goku's mother had left, saying she just couldn't handle living with their dad any more. As both the boys were old enough to choose who to live with, they both loyally chose their father, as they were both closer to him anyway.

Goku and Radditz had never been as close to their mother, a fickle woman, who was all love one minute, cold indifference the next. Goku openly agreed with his father, that they were all better off without her anyway, but secretly, he missed her. A lot. The last they heard she was living a few suburbs away with her mother. She hadn't been to see them at Christmas either as it would be to awkward, she said. The day just hadn't been the same without her.

Then in January, Bardock's workplace had been downsized and he found himself out of a job. At his age he had found it impossible to get another job at his trade and was forced to go on the dole. It was very hard for him, as he was a proud man.

Being on the dole caused another problem. They could no longer afford their mortgage repayments, and were forced into public housing, which is where Goku now found himself, new house, in a new suburb, which meant a new school too. Leaving his old house and all his friends, heck, his whole life behind had been heartbreaking.

His old school had been a nice, respectable Catholic school, where everyone wore uniforms and mass was held every Monday. His new school was to be the local public school, which they had passed on the way here, it was so close. Goku thought it had looked like a prison, with it's grey walls and cyclone fencing.

He wasn't looking forward to it or it's students. He was imagining what they'd be like, his new schoolmates, and decided if they lived in places as wrecked as this one, that they all must be ferals. Then he remembered with a sick feeling, that now he lived here too.

Goku was shaken from his thoughts by nearly walking into his father's back. Bardock had stopped out the front of a door, and was fumbling for the keys. Goku studied the door, and decided it wasn't inviting in it's iron and wire self. If the door was bad the inside of their new home was worse. Small, dark and musty, it had only six rooms, only three of them had windows.

Goku put the bags down in the hallway and went to his new room. It had already been decided that Raditz, being the elder, should have the larger bedroom. That left Goku with the smallest, un-windowed one.

He stared at the bare walls, with their peeling paint, and had to leave suddenly as he was so homesick for their old house.

Finding his father in the lounge room, setting up the telly, Goku asked him if they could put the Air Cooler on as it must have been 35 in there. That's when he was told that the house had only a ceiling fan. Some help THAT was going to be.

Goku took himself back to his room and sat in the corner, pulling his knees up to his chin, telling himself that they had officially hit rock bottom, and things HAD to get better. Maybe tomorrow.

That's when he heard the knock at the door.

AN - So, what do you think? Please leave a review and let me know. :)


	2. Chapter 2 - Cinnamon Girl

Chapter 2 – Cinnamon Girl.

This sure was some day Bulma Briefs was having.

First she had had a fight with Yamcha, her on again- off agin, who knew what the hell they were at the moment boyfriend, broken a nail, and her hair straightener, now her mother was insisting they go play nice and welcome the new neighbours to the place.

Who knows, she said conspiratorially, maybe they have a nice new boy there. Ignoring her mother's suggestion she decided she'd go anyway, purely because she was curious about the newbies.

She hoped, whoever they were that they were a better breed of people than the Kings upstairs. The less animals they had here the better, she thought in her not-do-humble opinion.

Giving herself a last look in her bedroom mirror, she decided she was super hot as usual, with much all there actually _might _be a new boy her age next door.

Standing behind her Mum out the front of next-door, Bulma fidgeted with a strand of her fair blue hair, a childhood habit of hers which she had never fully grown out of.

When the door was finally opened, well finally if felt to Bulma anyway because she never had much patience for playing polite, the women found themselves assaulted by firstly the musty, dusty, smell of the previously vacant apartment, and secondly by a sudden blast of music, all thrashing of guitars and drums and wailing of what was probably a man but sounded like a dying cow coming from another part of the house, followed shortly by a yell of "Radditz! Turn that crap down or so help me!"

The young man who had opened the door, or as Bulma now saw him to be, as her eyes had adjusted to to gloomy light of next door, had winced at both the music and the yell and now turned to them with an apologetic look on his face.

"Umm... Sorry about that." he said. He then looked like he was in pain for a second, then blushed furiously and looked at his feet.

"Well, hello there sweetie" Bulma's mother crooned. " My name's Bunny, and this is my girl Bulma," here Bulma waved unenthusiastically, " and we're from next-door. We want to welcome you and your family to the place. Is your Mum here, darl?"

While her Ma yammered on, Bulma was trying to get a good look at the new neighbour's face, a thing which was impossible seeing as he kept looking at his feet.

"Umm... ah..." he stammered, unhelpfully.

By this time a middle-aged man had approached from the rear of the house.

"Who are ya, and what are ya selling?" he barked.

Bunny, being the unflappable, and very nosy person that she was, wasn't too offended by this rude greeting and re-introduced both herself and Bulma to the newcomer.

"Huh, sorry about that," the man said gruffly, " bit stressed out, what with the move and all. Name's Bardock, the lad's Goku." Here the boy, Goku, said a muffled hello to his feet.

"Thanks for coming over to say hello and all" Bardock was saying, " we appreciate it don't we?" Goku nodded mutely, "but we must be going, gotta a lot to unpack." And with that he shooed his son out of the doorway and began to close the door.

" Wait!" Bunny said quickly, " I just want to let you know that if you ever need anything, we are just next door so-"

The door closed in her face and finished her sentence. "Well," Bunny said turning to face Bulma, " They seemed quite nice didn't they?" Bulma wasn't sure what part about them seemed nice but she nodded anyway, thoughts already elsewhere.

They went back home in silence, Bulma thinking about the newbie, Goku.

He seemed good-looking enough, for her tastes anyway, but she had to admit,if she was being honest, that she was a bit disappointed. He had seemed kinda well... stupid.

Maybe he was just shy. Yeah, that could be it. Plus being suddenly caught in the twin-beam gaze that was her mother's was a bit of a shock for those not used to it.

Oh well, she thought, taking herself to her room, it wasn't as if she was really looking for a new boyfriend yet anyway. She just needed to sit Yamcha down and give him a good talk about how she was right about what it was they had been fighting over, whatever THAT was as she couldn't remember now anyway, they fought so often.

Laying on her back on her bed, staring at the spinning blades of her ceiling fan, she smiled to herself thinking about what a good couple she and Yamcha were really.

I mean, sure they had had their problems, what truly great couple didn't? But they always wound up together again when Bulma decided being single no longer suited her.

Yep, she thought picking up her phone and dailing her besties number, she had her relationship, as well as all other aspects of her life, firmly in hand.


	3. Chapter 3 - My Girlfriend's Girlfriend

Chapter 3 – My Girlfriend's Girlfriend

Meanwhile, the next suburb over, Marron was doing some serious thinking.

Should she tie up and curl her lovely dark blue hair, or should she wear it down around her shoulders? She sighed as it was such a dilemma. It really was hard work being her sometimes.

It was no secret that she was considered one of the very best looking girls at school, so she had her reputation to uphold. Worrying about it wasn't pointless.

It was school holidays, and everyone hung out at the local shopping centre anyway, so she would definitely be seen by her school mates.

She was going to the Fountain Plaza to meet up with her bestie, Bulma. Only a few minutes before, Bulma had rang to tell Marron all about a new boy who was now living next door to her.

She had also opined that, as he was probably going to go to their school being the only one around, he might make a good boyfriend candidate for Marron.

Marron wrinkled her nose delicately at the thought.

While it was plain knowledge that she was single, secretly she had her eye on someone. Someone who was, unfortunately taken.

She sighed again. Life was just unfair sometimes, really wasn't it? Some people have everything then others like Marron, as pretty as she was, had to miss out on what they probably deserve more.

Oh well, she thought, tying up her locks, maybe Bulma was right about this new guy, he could be fun for a while at least.

Satisfied with her appearance Marron left for the shops.

And a few streets over, Yamcha Wolf was also in the midst of a dilemma.

Bulma had decided that their two week break had been long enough for him to learn his lesson, whatever THAT had been, he had never had a clue, and they were officially together again.

As if he had any choice in the matter.

Not that he really minded too much anyway, in the end at least.

It always went this way with them. She would take offence at something he had either done, or hadn't done, break up with him, make him wait awhile to learn some obscure lesson on faithfulness, or attentiveness, he never knew, then decide to take him back.

He had to act the part though, mind, grovel a bit, say that whatever it was this time it'll never happen again...

The thing was, this time it was different. It just didn't feel the same, like maybe his heart wasn't in it, or something.

Nah, he was probably just over thinking things, he decided. That was never a good thing to do, in his experience anyway.

Besides, he thought, as soon as he saw Bulma things would probably feel right again.

He was due to meet up with Bulma at the shops later, where he would probably have to buy her a make-up present, he hoped nothing to expensive as his job didn't really pay him to well.

Yeah, he decided, things were heading back to normal, so why couldn't he feel happy about that? Maybe it would just take a little longer this time , yeah, that was probably it.

Yamcha was just getting back into his movie when his phone burst into life.

Thinking it was Bulma already calling him to make sure he was coming he answered with a "Hey, girl" and was surprised by who answered him because it was a girl, just not the one he had expected.

Hanging her phone up Marron felt a sudden surge of guilt.

She really shouldn't have called Yamcha, as he was still, technically anyway, her best friend's guy.

She quashed it by rationizing that she actually hadn't done anything wrong. Yamcha was her friend too, she could talk to him if she wanted. And walk with him too.

That was why she had stopped under a tree, out of the scorching sun on her way to the shops, to ask him if he wouldn't mind escorting her.

She knew Bulma had told Yamcha to come to the Plaza too, so why should she have to walk there alone? It wasn't safe for a girl on her own in this neighbourhood after all, she reasoned further.

Looking up, shading her eyes with her hand she could see him approaching her now.

She beamed at him, he was such a nice guy to take her, especially seeing as it might make Bulma cross at him. And he was his usual super cute self too, she thought giggling.

"What's so funny?" Yamcha asked frowning at her.

"Nothing," Marron replied " I'm just happy to see you"

That made him blush. She giggled again.

"Well, we should get going, we don't want to keep Bulma waiting for us too long" Yamcha said starting off again.

Marron fell in beside him, looking around them as they walked.

They were pretty lucky, Yamcha and her, that they lived in this suburb. I mean, sure it was still rough, but it wasn't as bad yet as the one Bulma lived in.

And at least their families could afford to live in proper houses too not a housing block apartment like Bulma did. The horror stories Marron had been told about some of the other residents, particularly the ones upstairs had made her shiver.

Yes, she decided, even though some things were unfair in life, they could be worse for sure.


	4. Chapter 4 - Hey, Vegeta

Chapter 4 – Hey, Vegeta.

Looking around him room after he had finished unpacking all his possessions, Goku was surprised to find his room did in fact feel a little more like home than he had been expecting it to.

I was a small, windowless room, much like a cell to his mind, but now with his familiar possessions and his two posters on the walls it felt at least like _his _cell.

He sat on his bed, with its Batman bedspread and thought about his Mum.

She had bought it for him when he was 10 as he been absolutely crazy about all things Batman. He remembered how she had smiled at him when he told her all about how Batman was the greatest and was his hero.

Thinking about his Mum made him sad. It had been so hard to have one Christmas without her, he wasn't sure he could face more.

It was a pity that they weren't one of those families who worked out their dramas in a way that suited everyone.

You know, like on the telly where the mum and dad divorce and don't hate the sight of each other, the kids get to spend time equally with both of their parents, and everyone is still generally happy.

Goku wished dearly for his life to be like that.

He had tried to talk to Radditz about his feelings, but his elder brother had been too absorbed in his own dramas, of girls and Uni, to worry about how his little brother was faring.

This train of thought reminded Goku that he too would be starting school in a few days. And, oh boy, was he not looking forward that.

School for him had, at the best of times, been a confronting place, filled with people who he didn't understand.

And that was at a place where everyone was relatively well behaved too.

He had heard what public schools were like. The students were all vandals and thugs, he had been told. He sincerely hoped that wasn't the case.

Goku had just gone to sleep when he heard a thump from the apartment above.

It was followed by another, then muffled shouting.

Great he thought, the upstairs neighbours were ones who fought with each other. This place is going to be great.

The shouting continued for a few more minutes followed by the sound of the front door of upstairs opening forcefully and then slamming shut.

Goku then heard footsteps on the stairs outside.

He rolled over and looked at his bed-side alarm clock. Gawd, it was only 3 in the morning! What the hell was wrong with these people?

He was starting to drift back to sleep again when he thought he heard some one crying.

He listened harder and sure enough there it was again! Someone out side was definitely crying.

It was very faint but the person must be right near Goku's room.

Feeling terrible about it he got up and stealthily made his way through the apartment to the front door.

He went out as quietly as he could, in order not to wake his family, and slowly crept along the balconied front towards where he had heard the crying from.

Goku rounded the corner, fully expecting to find a woman who had come out the worse in a domestic, when he saw who it was.

He stopped dead in his tracks in surprise.

It was a boy, of about an age with himself by the looks of it, who was sitting on the steps that led up to the next floor with his head in his hands.

"Hey, are you okay?" Goku asked gently.

The boy's head shot up at this in surprise, which quickly turned to a look of such anger that Goku stepped back unthinkingly.

He had been about to ask if the teen needed any help when the words died in his mouth.

That look spoke murder.

The other boy then stood up wiping his eyes with his sleeve, and took a menacing step towards Goku.

Goku saw now that the teen's lip was split and he had blood running down his face.

Feeling sure that this was something he definitely shouldn't have got involved in, Goku said quickly" I'm sorry, I-" when the upstairs door opened again and a gruff man's voice yelled " Vegeta! Where are ya, you lil bastard?! Get back in here right now!"

By the time Goku turned his attention back to the other boy, Vegeta had crossed the distance between them and now stood in front of Goku.

He grabbed Goku by the front of his shirt and snarled "If you ever tell anyone about this, I swear I'll kill you."

From the tone of his voice Goku believed him fully.

Nodding mutely in terror, Goku then whispered "I promise."

Finally satisfied Vegeta mercifully let go of Goku and retreated back up the steps but not before shooting Goku a final warning glare, then he returned to his home.

Now alone on the landing Goku collapsed to the ground in relief.

Never, in all his life, had he been so scared of someone.

Feeling sick to his stomach by the whole thing, he had only wanted to help after all, Goku got up on shaky legs and made his own way back home.

Crawling back into bed he knew there was no way he'd be sleeping tonight, his thoughts already filled with the dread certainty that on his very first day here he'd made himself an enemy.

Well, he tried to console himself unsuccessfully, at least tomorrow couldn't get any worse, right?


	5. Chapter 5 - Some Stupid Tomorrow

Chapter 5 – Some Stupid Tomorrow.

The next day found Goku exploring his new home.

He wisely kept his travails to the first, second and third floors, avoiding the fourth where Vegeta lived.

He didn't want to run into him again, if he could help it.

The housing complex had four apartments per floor. Each one looked depressingly the same in it's dilapidation.

They all also had heavy-duty security doors, a sure sign of what kind of area they lived in, Goku surmised.

At the foot of the estate was a block of letterboxes, one for each apartment.

It was here that Goku found a child trying in vain to reach a top level letterbox.

This was his chance to get in a neighbour's good graces, Goku thought happily.

"Here kid, I'll get it for you" he said graciously, reaching up and taking the mail out of the box.

Handing the letters over was when Goku realised he'd made his second, potentially fatal mistake of trying to help his neighbours.

It was because the "kid" was no kid at all, he was in fact a teen.

A very short one. And he had no hair either.

"You'd better close your mouth, before something flies in." The "kid" said with suppressed laughter.

It then that Goku realised he he'd been staring with his mouth hanging open.

"I... I'm so, so sorry. I never, ever meant to-" Goku began to say.

"Hey, hey don't worry about it, mate. I'm used to it, really" the "kid" replied, waving his hands in front of himself.

"My name's Krillin by the way." He said offering Goku his hand.

Goku shook it in surprise and introduced himself, not understanding how he hadn't manage to mortally offend this guy.

"So, new here huh?" Krillin said walking back towards the apartments, Goku following in his rather small wake.

"Whaddya think of the place so far?" Krillin asked.

Goku stopped in his tracks, not knowing how to answer that without offending Krillin again. "It's , uh... it's just..." he fumbled for the right words.

"It sure is a shithole, isn't it?" Krillin answered for him with a laugh. "What? Don't you think so too?" He added.

Goku stated to laugh "Of course I think so! It's really horrible here. I mean, compared to what I'm used too, anyway."

Krillin smiled and said "Yeah, I've lived here most of my life and I'm STILL not used to it, I swear."

They continued their way back to the apartments, with Krillin giving Goku a run down on some of the more interesting residents.

"... There's the Mao's on floor 2, my floor, who are alright, really. The parents own a convenience store at the Plaza, that sells all sorts of things you never even knew you needed. They are real hard workers too, spend most of their time there. They have a girl, our age, goes to the local school like me too. She's cute all right, but a total snob. Pretends at school that she doesn't know me and all. Pfft... Like I care really."

He waved his hands animatedly as he walked, " There's also the Briefs, on your floor I think. Those two are okay mostly. The mother's a terrible gossip. Always asking waaay too many questions about everyone. She works as a hairdresser now, but she used to be a beauty queen. You can almost tell, by looking at her. The daughter's a bit of a pain though. Real pretty to look at and a total flirt with the boys, even though I think she has a boyfriend."

Goku listened raptly, glad to have found someone so well informed on everyone else.

"Oh and then there's the Kings on fourth. Boy are they something. The father's a drunk, long term unemployed, you know a dole bludger, I heard he used to be a champion boxer, back in the day, but now the only records he makes now is how many bones in his kids he breaks."

At this Goku stopped again, a sick realisation dawning in him.

Krillin, mistaking it for disbelief, continued "I'm not kidding! I can't even count how many times the coppers have been called here to sort 'em out. They have even had the Department of Human Services come to check in on them a few times, you know to make sure the two boys were all right."

Goku now was certain he knew who Krillin was talking about. Vegeta, there was no doubt about it.

Krillin starting walking again talking once more.

" Yeah, the younger boy isn't too bad, on his own, it's the older one you've gotta watch out for. A real psycho, if you know what I mean, I heard that he once broke a kid's arm because the kid had called his family a bunch of bogans. He just grabbed it and twisted. Bloody mental case, he is. Just don't go telling anyone where you learnt this will you? I wouldn't want ol' Veggie to bust me up either."

They stopped again this time in front of a door.

"Well this is my stop." Krillin said. "It was nice to meet someone normal around here."

Goku nodded, "Likewise." he said.

Krillin opened the door said "Be seeing ya." and waving once before closing it.

Goku went on up to his home, feeling very uplifted by his encounter with the diminutive Krillin.

He also shared Krillin's sentiment on meeting someone normal. Goku had felt that he wouldn't have been able to live here if they were all neighbours like the Kings. It would've sent him spare.

He was worried to hear about Vegeta breaking another boy's arm though. From the way he had dealt with Goku last night, Goku wouldn't put it past him.

Goku did feel a bit sorry for Vegeta and his brother, though. It wasn't their fault really, that they had been raised that way. Their father sounded like a monster.

It made Goku thankful for the fact that his own father, as emotionally distant as he could be at times would never, _ever_ really hit him or Radditz.

Goku entered his own home, thankful to be out of the heat, and went into his room and flopped on his bed. He had a lot to think about now, thanks to Krillin.

Invariably his thoughts turned again to his parents divorce and how badly it had turned out.

They were at the point where they refused to be in the same building as each other. It was sad, as at one point they must have loved each other, Goku knew.

Goku promised himself that, whenever it happened, in the far off and nebulous future, that he and his own wife would never end up like that.

It just was too depressing and a bit stupid, really.

It was then that he saw, for the first time, the box that was in the corner of his room. He got up and went over to open it.

Inside he found his school books, all second hand, that Bardock must have picked up today. Picking one up at random, Goku flipped through it.

It was a science book, full of pictures of animals, which he noticed with dismay, had all been vandalised with phalluses by a previous owner.

Great, he thought miserably, now he was going to have to spend the year looking at dicks in science. Awesome.

Throwing the book aside, he pulled his uniform out of the bottom of the box.

It too was pre-loved and it showed. The jumpers sleeves were worn at the cuffs, and the neck a bit stretched.

The trousers had a zip that refused to go up properly, and a few stains on one leg to boot.

He was going to look so pov when he started tomorrow.

Sighing, Goku hung the clothes in his wardrobe, knowing his father had done the best he could.

He sat on his bed and hoped fervently that tomorrow would turn out okay.

AN – school is next, I promise!


	6. Chapter 6 - School Daze

Chapter 6 – School Daze

The sudden blaring of music woke Goku out of his restless sleep. Reaching over and turning off his alarm, he was hit by the realisation that today he would be starting school at Orange Star High.

Groaning inwardly at the prospect, he dragged himself out of bed and made his way sleepily down the hall to the toilet.

It was occupied, of course.

Heading back to his room he got dressed, not hurriedly, before returning to the hallway. The bathroom was still busy. Goku banged on the door.

"Hurry up in there" he said, "I have to go to school soon."

"Piss off!" Radditz yelled through the door.

Geeze, he's worse than a girl with his appearance sometimes Goku thought angrily, heading for the kitchen this time.

His father was already up and at the table, frowning while working his way through a massive pile of toast.

Goku sat down opposite him, with a sour look on his face.

He knew from long experience, that there was very little use in complaining to his Dad about Radditz.

Usually, Bardock would tell Goku he had to work it out with his brother on his own, or on days like today, when he looked grumpy, he would almost always ignore Goku's complaining.

It really would just be a waste of time anyway, Goku decided. Radditz wouldn't likely listen to Bardock either.

Goku let his head drop on to his arms, which were folded on the table, and sighed loudly.

His father spared him a glance from over his toast mountain. Goku shook his head.

Several minutes of tense silence passed.

"Something wrong, lad?" Bardock asked finally.

"Well, it just-" Goku began, when Radditz burst from the bathroom, in a cloud of steam.

"Yeah, bro, something wrong?' he asked sweetly.

Goku mouthed "I hate you" to his brother, careful not to start a fight in front of their dad, while in response Radditz smiled at Goku, showing far too many teeth.

"That's enough from both of you" Bardock shouted, thumping a fist on the table. " I have a job interview today, and am not in the mood for this crap!"

He glared at both his sons equally in turn.

Radditz just smiled innocently at his father, while Goku looked sheepishly at his lap.

Bardock frowned deeply at them.

"You," he said pointing a thick finger at Goku, "shouldn't you be at school by now?"

As if I could forget, Goku thought to himself getting up from the table.

Radditz threw himself down into Goku's chair, and frowned at Goku in an expression that mocked their father's.

Bardock saw this and slapped him across the back of the head.

Suppressing a laugh, Goku dashed into his room, grabbed his school bag, and ran out the front door before his laughter bust out of him.

The look of wounded pride on Radditz' face had been priceless.

"That musta been some joke you heard." A voice from Goku's right said.

Turning, Goku saw Krillin climbing the steps up to the third floor.

He too was wearing a Orange Star uniform, although it did look rather big on his small frame. "what was so funny, c'mon you can tell me."

Goku smiled at him and said "Well, you see Radditz, my brother, was-" seeing the smile drop from Krillin's face, he stopped.

Then Goku remembered he hadn't even asked Krillin if he had any siblings.

Thinking Krillin's sudden change of demeanour was due to his rudeness, Goku quickly asked "Do you have a brother?"

"No" Krillin said stiffly, "No I don't" Suddenly, he was all smiles again.

"So," Krillin said conspiratorially, "I heard you met the Briefs girl."

Goku, confused by this quick change of topic, was confused. "Yeah, I did. Why?" he asked.

"Why?! Well what did ya think of course!" Krillin enthused. "Isn't she a babe, or what?"

"I dunno," Goku said honestly, scratching the back of his head, " I mean, I guess she was very pretty and all, it's just she seemed a bit..."

"A bit _what_?" A cold voice interrupted.

Both boys turned to find Bulma Briefs standing in front of her apartment, with her hands on her hips, and an expression of suspicion on her face.

"A...a bit..." Goku ventured.

Her eyes narrowed.

" A bit well..." He looked at his feet. He had been going to say "rude", but there was no way he was going to tell her that!

He instead mumbled something unintelligible at his toes.

"Men!" Bulma huffed indignantly.

She fluffed her hair, then stalked past Goku and Krillin with her nose in the air, and nearly stumbled down the stairs.

Her attempt at a dignified exit now lost, she glared evilly over her shoulder at them, then made her way slowly and more carefully down.

Waiting until she was out of earshot, Krillin breathed "Whoa... That was close!"

Goku nodded faintly. He really had to be more careful about letting his mouth ruin his chances of a good impression with his neighbours.

Krillin started for the stairs, and Goku followed him down.

"So, what bought you up to our floor anyway?" Goku asked.

Krillin smiled up at him, "I thought I'd do the right thing and show you how to get to school. I figured be going to ours, being the only one for miles and all."

Goku was very pleased to hear this. "Thanks!" he said, happily.

They reached the bottom floor when Krillin asked what he had obviously been busting to, since they saw Bulma.

"So, what _were _you going to say about her?" he asked with a grin.

" Oh, nothing... Nothing really..." He lied quickly.

He didn't want to run the risk of anything he said getting back to Bulma.

It wasn't as if he didn't trust Krillin either, in fact he found he rather liked the short guy.

Krillin for his part didn't seem to mind wanting to show Goku around, something Goku was infinitely thankful for.

The two boys walked the rest of the rather short way to school engaged in small talk, Krillin doing most of it, Goku nodding along to him.

It turned out, when they compared their timetable, that they would even be in the same class!

For the first time since learning about the move, Goku felt hope for his immediate future. It wouldn't be so bad to start at a new school, if he had already made a friend.

Following Krillin, they made their way to their new Home-room, Class 9 S.

Stopping with his hand on the doorknob, Krillin turned to Goku and asked, "Well, are you ready?"

Taking a deep breath and nodding, Goku replied "As ready as I'll ever be"

They entered the noisy classroom.


	7. Chapter 7 - Summer Girl

Aww, thank-you to Misuko for the lovely review! I'm glad you like it.

Chapter 7 – Summer Girl

The classroom was a riot of students, noise, and flying paper projectiles.

Dodging thrown books and running boys, Goku and Krillin made their way to a pair of empty seats at a table.

Goku couldn't believe what he was seeing.

It must have been because the class was unattended, that the students behaved so badly.

It wouldn't have happened at his old school, that's for sure!

"Is it always like this?" he asked Krillin, yelling over the noise.

"Normally not THIS bad!" Krillin replied, his eyebrows shooting up his forehead.

Looking around the room Krillin said "We've got some decent people in our class this year too. Hey! We even have the twins!"

Goku, turning to look at who Krillin was talking about saw at a table to the back, Bulma sitting with two others.

One was another pretty blue-haired girl, the other a long-haired youth who Goku supposed girls would find attractive save for the rather large scar on his face.

Goku smiled at Bulma. When she saw Goku looking at her Bulma blushed in embarrassment, and turned away.

Goku felt dismayed by her reaction.

He was hoping they could be friends, but for now he would accept at least being civil with each-other, as she lived next-door after all.

Turning back around down Goku began to unpack his things.

Two books whizzed through the air, just missing Goku's head and hit the ceiling fan, spewing pages everywhere.

The thrown books belonged to a small, dark blue-haired girl, who was unsuccessfully trying to get them back from two boys.

Feeling terrible for her, Goku decided to intervene.

Walking over to the book throwers, who were both shorter than him, Goku plucked a book out of the air over their heads.

"Hey!" the shorter, fatter of the two said. "Give it back! We are just having a laugh, aren't we Puar?"

The short, blue girl, who was nearly in tears, shook her head mutely.

Goku frowned at the boys. "Give her books back." he said firmly.

"Who's gonna make me?" threatened the second, hairier boy.

A sudden hush fell over the class, as the students anticipated a fight.

As Goku took a step towards the two boys the classroom door opened, and a raven-haired girl entered.

She stalked up to Goku and slapped him across his face. Goku was stunned. _This _was the thanks he got for trying to help?!

The girl then went to the two book throwers and snatched Puar's books out of their hands.

"How dare you Yajirobe!" she scolded the hairy one. "And you too Oolong"she waved an admonishing finger in fatty's face. "you know better than that!"

It was hard to tell who looked more ashamed of themselves, Yajirobe or Oolong. "We're sorry, Chichi..." they both mumbled.

"Don't apologise to me,you twits!" Chichi snarled "And you!" she added turning to fix Goku in her ebony glare, "What do YOU have to say for yourself?"

Goku was just about to explain himself when the door opened again, this time to admit the Home-room teacher.

Placing her hands on Puar's shoulders, Chichi began to steer her towards some empty seats, but not before giving Goku a final, deadly glare.

Goku, realising the teacher was waiting for him to sit down too, quickly resumed his seat next to Krillin, who was trying, somewhat unsuccessfully to contain his laughter.

"Well, it's good to know my students are capable of sorting things out amongst themselves." The teacher said taking her place in front of the whiteboard, before she introduced herself.

" My name, as some of you will already know, is Zarine Snake, Ms. Snake will be fine."

She proceeded to read the class attendance role, checking off all the students names.

When she got to "Mao, Chichi" Goku was sure he had heard the surname of the girl who had slapped him before, maybe something Krillin had said...

Goku reminded himself to ask Krillin later.

When she had finished with the role, Ms. Snake handed out their class timetables, Goku taking his studied it with interest.

Their first class was to be double maths. Great, he thought, first off is my worst subject.

The bell rang, signalling the end of home-group. Goku, grabbing his books, followed Krillin out of the class.

" Whoa, mate," Krillin said as they made their way to the lockers to put their bags away, "I've seen Chichi get mad, but I've never seen her hit someone before!"

Goku felt a little indignant about this. "I was just trying to help" he said.

"Yeah, I know." Krillin replied, waving a hand " You seem to like to do that. Just a word of warning though, some of the people here are not above hitting you, just so you know."

Goku was worried to hear this "They'd get suspended for that though, right?"

Krillin laughed "Are you kidding me! One time there was this massive fight and this one kid get his arm broken. The worst thing that happened was that that guy got a detention!"

This was a bit of a shock to Goku, because at his previous school violence had never been tolerated, and for breaking someone's arm he would expected to be expelled.

They finished stowing their bags, making sure to grab their maths text books, and headed for that class. Goku remembered what he was going to ask Krillin.

" That girl who hit me, Chichi? Her last name sounds familiar."

Krillin turned to look at him quizzically "Well duh, it does! She lives in our building, I told you, remember?"

Goku suddenly did remember."The one acts like a snob?"

Krillin looked around them quickly, saying in a hushed voice "Shh, be careful where you say that! I don't want Chichi to hit me too!"

Goku gulped "Right, sorry" he said sheepishly.

They reached their next class. Maths, for Goku anyway, was it's usual confusing self. He was very relieved when the bell rang again, signalling recess.

Heading back to the lockers, the boys replaced their books and grabbed their lunches. Krillin led the way to a leafy tree, out of the summer sun.

Sitting down in the dirt, they had just began to eat, when Chichi approached them.

"Puar told me what really happened." she said quickly " I'm sorry I hit you."

She looked down at her hands, while waiting for a response.

"Ah... That's okay, I guess" Goku finally managed to say.

Chichi looked up, nodded then stalked away back towards a group of girls who were waiting for her.

Krillin looked impressed. "I've never, _ever_, seen Chichi Mao apologise for anything she's ever done before!"

Goku frowned at that "Really?" he said.

Krillin nodded "Usually she bullies the other person into saying sorry to her!"

Goku wasn't sure what to make of that.

The rest of the day passed without incident, thankfully, and Goku found himself getting back into the rhythm of school life.

As he and Krillin retrieved their bags at the end of the day, they were again approached by Chichi.

" I was wondering," she began hesitantly, " if maybe we could walk home together?"

Goku nearly dropped his bag in surprise "Uh... sure, I mean it's okay right, Krillin?"

The small teen looked as stunned as Goku felt.

"Umm, sure Chichi," he said, "Why not?"

And so it was that the three made their way back to the soulless dump that they called home, engaged in small talk.

Chichi, it turned out, was not so bad, after all. She lived with her parents, she said, although they were mostly not around as they both worked so hard.

"Isn't that lonely?" Goku asked her.

"Sometimes," she admitted, "but I guess it made me have to grow up faster. I am very thankful for my parents." she said, tilting her chin, the hint of a challenge in her eyes.

"I don't doubt it " Goku assured her

. They walked her to her door. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then." she said to Goku smiling shyly.

"Uh, sure." he replied, scratching the back of his head. "If you wanna." She nodded at him before closing the door.

Goku turned to Krillin, who had been unusually quiet on their trip home. "Well, what do you think of that?"

Krillin laughed, throwing his hands up in the air "What do I think?" he said. "I think she likes you!"

Goku's mouth dropped open.

"I've never seen her spend so long talking to a boy, and I've been in her class since grade 1! Heck, she practically ignored me all the way home, too!"

Goku shook his head. "I don't think so..." he said "She talked to you too"

Krillin laughed again heading for his house. "Yeah mate, but not as much as she talked to you! You lucky duck! First day and you get a girl interested in you."

Goku didn't like what he was hearing. " No, I didn't," he protested. "She was just interested in me 'cos I'm new."

Krillin opened his front door. "Whatever helps you sleep at night!" he laughed. "see you tomorrow, Romeo" he said before closing his door.

Goku could hear his laughter coming from the other side.

Felling very miffed, he made his way upstairs to his own home, hoping his dad was home so he could ask him about what girls mean when they pay attention to you.

Hell! He'd even talk to Radditz about it, he was so confused.

Entering the apartment, Goku was dismayed to find it empty.

There was a not from his father on the fridge saying "Back later. Dinner's in the fridge."

Typical Bardock, really Goku thought. He never was one for mincing words.

Making a sandwich Goku took himself into the lounge, and flopped down on the couch.

He turned the telly on. There was a news report on about a fatal domestic incident.

It made him think of Vegeta and his family.

He hoped that things never got THAT bad here.


	8. Chapter 8 - Who Will Save the Sane?

Chapter 8 – Who Will Save the Sane?

Goku's second day at Orange Star high started off as usual.

He got up, fought with Radditz, ate breakfast, fought with Radditz, brushed his teeth, and fought with Radditz.

It was after the third fight that their father intervened.

"Enough!" he roared. Bardock was in a worse than usual mood as his job interview yesterday hadn't gone well.

"If I have to hear one more time that someone is hogging the bathroom, or that someone drank all the milk, I swear I'll..."

He never finished his threat, he never usually did.

It was his way normally, to grumble and complain, but ever since the divorce, Bardock had been in an even shorter supply of good humour.

He now had very little to say to either of his boys, and when he did it was often in a growl or even a yell which is what he was doing now.

" You!" he snapped at Radditz, "You will stop taking as long as a vain woman in the shower!"

"I... I don't-" Radditz began.

"I don't care!" Bardock snarled turning on Goku "And you will stop drowning your cereal in milk every morning! You don't need to use a whole cow's worth!"

Goku hid the milk carton behind his back in shame.

Taking a deep breath and visible hold of himself, Bardock continued in a much more normal tone of voice "From now on all showers in this household will be no longer than ten minutes in length."

Here he directed his gaze at Radditz who stood scowling in the corner of the kitchen.

"And every time someone uses the last of something, it's their responsibility to replace it!"

This he said to a meek looking Goku, who was unsuccessfully trying to shove the milk carton into the oven behind him.

"Will you stop that!" His father barked at him, "I can see what you're doing boy!" Goku quickly did as he was told, while Radditz tried to muffle his glee behind his hands.

"I didn't realise you had all the time in the world to laugh at this idiot" Bardock said to Radditz, shutting him up instantly. "Stupid me thought you had a class to go to today."

Radditz hurriedly retreated to his bedroom muttering something about "Getting ready, and class"

This left Goku alone in the kitchen with his dad. With his father eyeing him expectantly Goku didn't know where to look so he settled on his feet.

"Lad... Goku," his father said finally, with none of his usual bluffness, "I know things have been hard recently, and we've all had to put up with things changing in ways we didn't want, but I want you to remember that we're a team. And that means that every man has to put in his fair share, okay?"

Goku looked up at his father in surprise, this was so far from the usual way he talked recently, it almost felt like old-times.

"If that means you not wasting a carton of milk, and your brother not having hour-long showers, so be it. But for things to work we're all gonna have to make an effort."

He reached over and ruffled Goku's hair.

He then left the kitchen, but not before saying, over his shoulder, "I have another job interview today. Wish me luck lad."

Goku nodded mutely, feeling tears burning in his eyes. His father smiled at him, then left the apartment. Goku was glad he had left so he could wipe his eyes.

Locking the front door behind himself, Goku turned to leave and nearly collided with Chichi, who had been waiting out the front for him.

"Goku!" she said happily, grinning at him broadly "What a surprise to see you!"

Goku felt stunned by her delight at seeing him.

"Uh... It is?" he said, puzzled. "Of course, silly!" she giggled. " I had hoped to see you anyway, as I have something for you."

Goku's interest was suddenly piqued, and he forgot all about her stalker-ish behaviour. "What is it?" he asked eagerly. "I hope it's food!"

She laughed again, "It sure is! I was making myself some fried rice for lunch and accidentally made far too much. I couldn't possibly eat it all, and I remembered yesterday you had such a meagre looking lunch..."

She proceeded to pull a Tupperware container out of her bag from which one of the most enticing aromas Goku had ever smelled wafted.

He eagerly took it from her, smiling gratefully.

"Thanks Chichi! This looks absolutely delicious!" He beamed at her in genuine pleasure, forgetting the strangeness of her sudden generosity.

While he put his new lunch in his bag, Krillin approached them with a speculative expression on his face.

" Hey Krillin," Goku greeted him, replacing his bag on his back, "You won't believe what Chichi just gave me!"

Krillin's eyebrows shot up his forehead in surprise and he said "Oh, I think I know what it was, you lucky bum!"

Goku blinked at Krillin owlishly, as he wasn't sure he did know. Oh well, it didn't matter, Goku thought, 'cos I scored a free lunch!

"Well, are you two ready to go to school now or do you need some more tome together?" Krillin said slyly, fixing them both in a smirk.

Now Goku was convinced Krillin didn't know what he got. What on earth did he think it was? Goku couldn't imagine.

Chichi seemed to know however. "Krillin Castano! You perv!" she shrieked at him before satlking past him and down the stairs.

Goku didn't understand what just happened, and called after her "Chichi! Wait up! I thought you wanted to walk with us!"

He started after her while behind him Krillin cackled with laughter.

What was wrong with everyone today, Goku thought jogging to catch up to Chichi, did everyone wake up in a mental mood today?

Finally reaching her he grabbed her arm to stop her. She looked back at him in alarm.

"Don't just grab me like that! You haven't the right!" she shook her arm free of his grip.

"Sorry..." Goku said ashamedly, he forgot sometimes that girls generally didn't like to be man-handled.

By then Krillin had caught up with them, his face flushed all the way to the top of his bald pate from his haste in reaching them.

"Wait... For... Me..." he panted.

"Have you learned your lesson?" Chichi asked him icily.

"I cross my heart." Krillin replied with mock solemnity.

That seemed to satisfy Chichi, as she allowed both boys to escort her the rest of the way to school.

At lunch while Goku was getting stuck into his unexpected rice, a group of people approached the tree under which he, Krillin and Chichi sat.

Looking up in surprise, Goku saw it was Bulma and the other blue girl from class.

"Hey, Bulma," Goku said around a mouthful of food "and uh..." The other girl giggled at him and said "Marron."

Bulma pouted at them both.

"Uh, yeah, I knew that." Goku said hastily.

He saw Chichi stiffen and her frown deepened.

"How can I help you?" Goku asked after a minute had passed. Marron giggled again.

"We saw what you did in class the yesterday, with Puar, and were impressed." Bulma informed him haughtily.

"We thought maybe, if you were interested of course, that you might wanna date Marron," Marron fluttered her eyelashes at him here, "Seeing as you are new and don't have a girlfriend yet." Bulma finished.

Goku was flabbergasted. Hew looked at Krillin for help, but saw he looked as stunned as Goku felt.

When Goku shrugged at him in question, Krillin nodded furiously.

"Uh... okay. I guess so." He replied, lamely.

Bulma smirked in satisfaction, and Marron squealed happily before sitting down next to Goku, nearly in his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Chichi got up hurriedly and started to walk away from them.

"Wait, Chichi..." Goku called after her.

She didn't turn around as she walked away.

He wondered what had just happened, while trying futilely to extract himself from Marron's grip.

It seemed that, while he had slept, the world had gone crazy, and he was the only sane person left on it.

He started to wish Batman was real, to save him from this mental place.

AN - So what do you think, guys? Any good? Waste of time? Please let me know, even if it's just a quick answer I'll appreciate it. :)


	9. Chapter 9 - Love You to Death

AN – This chappie's a bit longer than most, so bear with me. I'll admit I struggled with it a bit, I wonder if you can tell?

Chapter 9 - Love You to Death

Goku quickly found out that being someone's boyfriend was not all it was cracked up to be.

There were certain rules, quite a few of them, that must be followed at all times.

One of them was that he now had to sit with Marron, Bulma and Bulma's boyfriend, Yamcha at lunchtimes, and during class.

This meant he no longer could sit with Krillin, something that caused Goku some anguish of conscience.

Krillin brushed of Goku's apologies, saying he was happy for Goku to be "moving up in the world" Goku didn't understand what Krillin meant and was sad to see him go.

He felt like he was loosing a bestfriend, even though it was only three days since they had met.

He was starting to feel sorry he had said yes to Bulma's request.

There was worse to come he found out as Goku and his new friends made their way back to class.

Marron informed him that he was also required to call her, at least four times everyday, or if that wasn't absolutely possible, to text her.

But this was only to be used as a last resort, she informed him gravely, waving a finger under his nose, to make sure he got the point.

When he nodded that he understood, Marron squealed with pleasure and wrapped herself around Goku again, making it difficult for him to walk.

Finally managing to loosen her hold on him, enough for him to breathe anyway, Goku looked over at Yamcha for help.

The scar-faced teen just shrugged at him, and gave him a look that said you're on your own there, buddy.

Entering the classroom, Marron steered them to a table near the back of the class.

That was another rule, she explained, that they _always_ sat at the back of class, where they could hold hands without the teachers seeing them.

Goku didn't think it was necessary, as they wouldn't be holding hands at all times, right?

When he said this, Marron just sighed and replied in a voice that one would use on a very small child, that "Of _course_ they would be, silly. Otherwise how else would everyone know they were a couple?"

He looked to Bulma to see if this was true and she just rolled her eyes at them saying, "Geeze, you two have only been a couple for like, five minutes, and are already arguing."

Yamcha coming to Goku's aid, said "It's just easier to go along with 'em, mate. Take my word for it."

Goku gave up trying to squirm out of Marron's grip and let himself be ushered to a seat.

And so the rest of the day passed, Goku being led around by the hand like a toddler, having to listen to Marron prattle on about who was dating who, who would never get a date, and who was such a skank that they had already slept with whoever else.

Probably, at any rate if the gossip could be believed.

Goku found such talk incredibly tiring. He wondered how Yamcha had managed put up with it for so long.

Only half listening, while Marron started lecturing him on the benefits of having a girlfriend, Goku thought wistfully of his days spent talking to Krillin, where the topic of conversation never became more challenging than "Who would win in a fight between Batman or Spiderman." Or, "Who can sing the second verse of the national anthem."

He remembered, they had decided it would be a tie, and that neither of them could. He smiled, lost in his thoughts.

"Goku?" Marron was saying, "Goku are you listening to me?"

He jumped and was all attention again.

"Of course I was" he lied quickly.

Marron looked doubtful.

"Well, I'm glad you were, but I need to go to the toilet now. Bulma?" she stood up from the table they had been sitting at, under a tree in the school's courtyard.

Bulma nodded and joined her.

Waiting until they were out of earshot, Goku tuned to Yamcha, who was sitting idly, drawing on the back of his hand with a pen.

"Are they always this much fun?" he asked.

Yamcha laughed, saying"You think this is bad? Wait until she decides you haven't been paying her enough attention and see how much worse it gets."

Goku looked doubtful.

"Don't believe me?" Yamcha replied, spreading his hands "Well I didn't think so either, but boy, did I find out the hard way."

They both lapsed into a sullen silence, lost in thoughts of their predicament.

Goku was now certain he was sorry he agreed to be Marron's boyfriend.

I mean, sure she seemed a very nice girl, and she was beautiful to boot, but it wasn't like they really even knew each other, much less had things in common.

And, after all, Goku thought, weren't they important things in a relationship? Or did all couples work out this way, with one person making all the decisions and doing all the talking?

He wasn't sure this was right. Maybe he was just over thinking things, after all it was only the first day of their relationship, and things were still new to him.

Maybe in a day or two, once they worked out a rhythm, things would improve for him.

He looked at Yamcha, who was now moodily stabbing the table with his pen, and doubted this very much.

Looking to his right, he saw the two girls were returning. They had their heads together and Bulma was talking rapidly, while Marron nodded.

Goku gulped. He hoped it didn't mean more bad news for him.

Returning to their seats the girls looked at each other and nodded.

"Goku, sweetie, I've decided-" Marron began, but whatever she had been going to say was suddenly cut off by the end of lunch bell.

The last two periods of today at school was to be the obligatory Sex-Ed class, held in the gym for the boys, and the Home Economics room for the girls.

" Oh well, I'll tell you later." Marron huffed.

Relieved beyond measure, Goku jumped to his feet and started off for the gym with Yamcha falling in beside him.

"That was close." Yamcha said to Goku once they reached a safe distance. "I've seen that look on Bulma's face before, and it only means trouble."

Goku paled. "Really?" he said "Like what?"

Running a hand through his hair, Yamcha replied "Well just let me put it this way. The last time Bulma started a sentence with"I've decided" it was to tell me that she had realised I wasn't pulling my weight, and that I had to shape up or else."

Goku felt puzzled. "Or else?" he repeated, "Or else what?"

Yamcha laughed at him, then. "Why she'd break up with me, of course! Which I don't mind saying, is more trouble than it's worth."

Goku felt doubtful about that and it must have shown on his face.

"You don't believe me?" Yamcha said, with a shrug, "That's fine, but just between you and me, last time it cost me close to a hundred dollars and more of my pride than I'm willing to admit to go grovelling back to her."

This confused Goku even more. "Why don't you just break up for good?" he asked. To Goku's mind this would fix most of Yamcha's problems.

"Are you kidding!" Yamcha said, "I don't wanna be single at my age!"

Goku didn't understand what was so wrong about that, so he asked.

"Because before you know it it'll be too late, and you'll be a old man all alone in life! It's better to put up with what you can get, instead of regretting what you lost."

Goku felt there was something wrong in that logic.

"And besides," Yamcha added, "It's social suicide to be single at our age. It means there's something wrong with you, and that you're a loser." he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Goku nodded in pretend agreement, thinking with some surprise, that he never would have taken Yamcha to be one of those people who were so worried about their social status.

If anything he would have thought it the other way around, with Yamcha having to beat the girls off with a stick.

Maybe they were all too scared of Bulma. Yeah, he could see that.

Reaching the gym they let themselves in and joined the mass of students milling on the basketball court.

The Sex-Ed class was held by Mr. Green the dour maths teacher.

It was a painful experience for all involved, with Mr. Green having to explain the benefits of contraceptives to a reluctant audience, and demonstrating the proper way in which to wear a condom.

The boys were all squirming in their seats, wishing they could be anywhere else, or almost anywhere in Goku's case, as went on to talk about the perils of STDs. Having to hear these things from a teacher was just wrong!

Thankfully the class ended, with the boys being told if they had any further questions they should consult the school nurse and Guidance Counsellor.

As if they would! most of the boys thought, heading out the doors and for their lockers, thoughts already on their after school activities, Goku among them.

He couldn't wait to catch up with Krillin on the way home to talk about how weird his day had been.

He had seen the diminutive teen briefly during Sex-Ed, but careful to adhere to Marron's strict rules, he hadn't spoken to him.

Reaching up into his top level locker, Goku wondered idly, not for the fist time, about who's locker the middle one was.

The locker between his and Krillin's had been unopened since school started.

Maybe it was a spare?

Goku thought that was unlikely as the door had a lock on it, and who would bother locking an empty one?

"How weird was that!" a voice from below him said.

Looking down and smiling at the top of a bald head, Goku replied "I know! It was so awkward. I don't know what was the worst part, Mr. Green and the banana or when he had to explain how girls get pregnant!"

Krillin pulling out his school bag laughed. "The banana, definitely" he said, then added in a solemn voice "I swear I'll never look at that fruit the same way again!" Both boys burst into a gale of laughter.

Shouldering their bags they headed for the gate, when Goku stopped to look around.

"What's up?" Krillin asked him.

"Where do you think Chichi is?" Goku said . "Maybe she doesn't want to walk home with us today?"

Krillin looked doubtful. "No, I don't think she does."

Sometimes, Krillin had to wonder, at how Goku could be so intuitive, and at others so completely naive.

They managed to get halfway back to the housing block before Goku's phone rang. It was Marron.

"Hi sweetie," she crooned. "I just wanted to let you know I miss you already."

Goku fumbled for an answer. "I... uh miss you too." He said in embarrassment. It was hard to be serious when Krillin was making stupid goo-goo faces at him.

"Now, we still need to have our talk" she was saying as Goku tried to hit Krillin across the head.

"Uh, of course Marron. I'll call you as soon as I get home." he finished, finally managing to get a hold on the neck of Krillin's jumper.

"You'd better." She said in a voice of honeyed venom, as if doubting his honesty.

"I promise." Goku said ending the call.

"You idiot!" he yelled at Krillin, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to talk while you are making faces like this at me?" Here Goku imitated Krillin's goo-goo face.

Laughing, Krillin said "Hey, you're pretty good at that! But it was more like this!" He pulled an even more stupid face than before.

And so it went that the two teens made their way home, engaged in a face-pulling contest, unaware that they were bring watched.

AN – Phew, that was a long one! So what do you think? Too long? And who is watching them? Leave a review and I might tell you.


	10. Chapter 10 - I Don't Wanna Be Me

AN – Thanks to Masuko for the kind review! I'm glad you didn't think it too long. And as for who was watching the boys... here it is!

Chapter 10 – I Don't Wanna Be Me

Watching the two youths as they made their way towards the apartment block, laughing and pulling stupid faces as they went, was another young man.

Vegeta frowned as the two walked towards his hiding place.

From his vantage point, high in the branches of an old eucalyptus tree, Vegeta had a clear view of the streets surrounding his home.

It had been his plan, originally, to lie in wait for some unsuspecting kid to pass by his perch so he could launch a surprise attack and liberate their allowance from them.

It was a strategy that he found quite affective, this one of hiding in the tree, and more often than not his victim was so terrified of his sudden and frightening appearance they easily handed over whatever money they had, with very little effort on Vegeta's part.

It wasn't just that he liked to scare people, not entirely anyway, it was because he needed their money more than they did.

It was the only way he and Tarble, his kid brother, got to eat some days.

Shifting his weight on the branch, he watched as the two teens approached, trying to decide the best method of attack.

It would be much harder to scare money out of two people, but Vegeta needed to try as things at home were getting desperate.

He hadn't eaten for two days now, after making Tarble eat the last of their food yesterday.

As his potential victims neared, Vegeta sized them up.

He recognised one of them, Baldy, from the Housing Block, as there was no mistaking that bare head anywhere.

He was sure he could get something outta him, having done so a few times in the past.

It was the other one he was worried about. Taller and more shabby looking than Baldy, the second teen was also vaguely familiar.

The growling of his stomach at that moment made his mind up for him. He would try, whatever the risk, to get something from them.

At worst, if it came to blows, he couldn't get hurt anymore than he already had been, Vegeta surmised, gingerly touching his blackened eye.

Standing up on his branch, he waited while his prey came closer, still making the most idiotic faces.

Especially the taller one, Vegeta noticed, he looked like a constipated monkey!

Haha, Vegeta thought to himself, coming up with a nickname for the new boy. Yes, it would do nicely.

The two teens were now directly underneath him.

Readying himself for the assault, Vegeta was just about to jump down when he suddenly realised where he knew the taller boy, now Kakarrot to his mind, from.

Vegeta froze, holding his breath as he let the two morons make their way, unmolested under his tree, and into the Housing Block.

Swinging down from his perch with a grunt, Vegeta watched them as they made their way to their homes, waving and still laughing at each other.

It made Vegeta feel an empty, hollowness inside him that wasn't all lack of food.

He thought of the sort of homes that they were likely going to. Ones that were full of food and fun and friends...

Vegeta laughed to himself thinking of how lucky he was not to need such stupid things.

Living without them had made him stronger, smarter and more able to take care of his brother.

In fact, he told himself bracingly, walking back home, his life couldn't get much better.

Not unless his father finally made good on his threats and left, of course.

And wouldn't THAT be the day... Vegeta thought wistfully.

He and Tarble could manage without him, as they practically were doing so now, seeing as their father was so often lost in a drunken stupor he might as well be dead.

It was when he stirred from them that all of Vegeta's troubles began.

He hesitated, one foot on the stairs that led to the first floor of apartments, wondering what sort of mood that his arsehole of a father was in today, and how much he had already drank.

He hoped he had only drank and not smoked any weed today, as it made him easier to deal with. More predictable, less violent.

His father's addictions were the bane of Vegeta's life, and the reason he missed out on so many things, food included.

Deciding he'd put it off long enough and wanting to get back before his little brother did, Vegeta began to climb the stairs again, full of trepidation at what sort of monster he would find at home.

Reaching the fourth floor landing, he paused in front of the door to his home and waited, his hand on the knob, listening for any noise from inside.

Smiling when he heard the low drone of snoring, Vegeta quietly entered the apartment, being careful not to make any noise, lest he woke his father.

Once inside he scanned the dark, musty interior with much distaste.

It was filthy, with dust and grime coating every surface. A tap dripped into a sink of broken dishes and a maze of empty beer bottles covered every flat surface.

It was dank, it was depressing, it was unfortunately home.

Sneaking past the loungeroom, where he knew his father would be, asleep in his tattered armchair, Vegeta went into the kitchen to wait for Tarble to get home from school.

That's really where he should have been himself these last two days, if not for the fact that his father had beaten him up just before school had started for the year.

Vegeta touched his black-eye again with a wince.

It was still far too prominent for him to risk going to school, not unless he wanted to draw the authorities attention to his family again.

The last time that had happened was a year ago when he was fifteen and Tarble had gone to school with a heavily bruised leg.

His teacher had noticed it and, as it wasn't the first bruise Tarble had come to school with, she had called the Department of Human Services.

They had in turn sent a pair of social workers to the school, to interview the King boys.

Vegeta had had to lie through his teeth, about how it had happened, saying Tarble fell off his bike, that's all.

They hadn't believed him, and went to interview his father.

Vegeta wasn't sure what his father had said to them, but it must have worked, because he and Tarble were allowed to return home at the end of the day.

They had returned here to find their father in a vicious state, demanding to know who's fault it was.

Vegeta, always wanting to protect his younger brother, had lied and taken the blame.

And boy had Vegeta copped it then.

His father had thrashed him so badly he'd had to have the week off school.

It was a lesson hard learned. Never, _ever_ get unwanted attention drawn to yourself, even if it's in the guise of assistance.

He had once thought, when he was younger, that maybe he _should_ look for help, from his school or even the neighbours, but as he got older, he realised that things would never change, as the authorities were loath to separate a parent from their children for any reason, even abuse.

It was all because of the parent's _rights._

Well, Vegeta thought angrily, what about the rights of the child?

Didn't he and Tarble have the right to live in a clean, loving home?

Didn't they have the right to live without being exposed to drug abuse, or the fear of being assaulted?

The authorities didn't seem to care about that.

The whole system, to Vegeta's mind didn't make sense, didn't work.

It was for this reason alone that Vegeta had a great distrust of people outside of his family, especially the do-gooders who would always try to help, because they always, invariably, made things worse for himself and his brother.

This train of thought filled Vegeta with a sense of despair, not just for himself, that things would always stay the same for them.

That they would live their lives filled with misery and fear.

Well, not if I can help it! Vegeta thought savagely, his hands curling into fists.

If someone can get us out of this hellhole we're in it's me. He wasn't sure how, and he wan't sure when, but he knew he just _had_ to. At any cost to himself.

Sitting down at the kitchen table Vegeta suddenly felt disappointed in himself for not being able to procure any food for Tarble. Maybe tomorrow.

Ignoring his own growling stomach, his thoughts drifted back to his failed attempt at getting some money.

It wasn't as if he couldn't take on two people at once, he had in fact done so before with success, it was the fact that the taller of the two, Kakarrot, had been the one who saw his tears that night his father had last beat him.

The reason why he couldn't face him was hard for Vegeta to admit, even to himself.

Sure, he was used to people looking at him in fear, or disgust or anger. Those were feeling he understood, even respected.

It was when people looked at him that _other_ way, with that pitiful, pitying look on their faces...

He just couldn't stand it! How dare they! How _dare_ they feel sorry for him!

Who were they, these people whose lives were so perfect that they had to look at him like that!

I'll tell you who they are, Vegeta thought with venom, they are no-ones, they are nothing!

I don't need them or their pity, he thought, I don't need anyone. I'm the only person Tarble and I need.

At that moment the door to their apartment opened slowly, admiting the youngest King.

Tarble, a full head shorter than the already short Vegeta, wore his usual timid, unsure expression on his face, the one that looked as though he saw enemies everywhere.

Vegeta got up, putting his fingers to his lips in the sign for silence, before pointing to the lougeroom. Tarble nodded, then made his way slowly to the kitchen.

The King boys greeted each other in their usual way, a thumbs up, before Vegeta told Tarble in a hushed voice that there would be no dinner again tonight.

Sighing resignedly, Tarble nodded before heading quietly to his bedroom, leaving Vegeta alone with his thoughts.

It was some hours later when Vegeta, on the way to the kitchen for a drink, walked past the loungeroom and noticed his father was still asleep.

Feeling a stab of worry he crept into the lounge, being careful to be as silent as possible.

Nearing his father's chair, Vegeta realised it was empty.

Now definitely worried that there was something wrong, he quickly stepped around the chair to find his father in a heap on the floor at it's foot.

He was still asleep, although no longer snoring.

Staring down at his father's prone body, lying helplessly curled up on the floor, Vegeta suddenly felt a strange surge of emotion for his dad, almost affection.

After all that he put them through, he was still their dad. It just wasn't right that he was left lying on the floor like that.

Vegeta knelt down and put his arm around his father, lifting him up with effort.

Waking with a drunken grunt, Vegeta Snr said "Boy, is that you?" he reached out for Vegeta's face with his hand.

"Yeah, it's me Dad." Vegeta replied. "You fell outta your chair."

Hefting his father's weight, Vegeta began to lead them to his father's room. The going was slow, as Vegeta Snr. was a big, muscular man.

"You're a good boy..." his father slurred as they went "Such a good boy..."

Vegeta helped his father into bed, his heart feeling it was being squeezed out of his chest.

He hadn't been called that by his dad for years.

Heading back to his own room Vegeta was suddenly filled with conflicting emotions, one a deep love for the man their father used to be, and the other a fierce burning hatred for the man he now was.

It made Vegeta feel tired beyond his years, tired of his life.

He wished, for one of those rare times he allowed himself too, that he was someone else, anywhere else than here.

AN – This chapter is very long! It was also very difficult for me to write and I agonised over it's content, as it is quite personal to me. Please tell me what you think. Should I keep going?


	11. Chapter 11 - These Three Things

AN – Thank-you again to Masuko for the lovely review. I'm happy you found it believable. And also my thanks to nasiya, I'm so glad you love this story.

Chapter 11 – These Three Things

Yawning loudly, his jaw popping, Goku hung up his phone, ending the hour long call from his new girlfriend.

Man, could that girl talk! he thought, scratching his head idly, before stretching out his stiff muscles.

He hadn't realised that being someone's boyfriend was so much work.

He had thought it was mostly holding hands, going on dates and kissing, those kind of things. He never knew there was so many rules to which he now must adhere.

First and foremost was the one about talking to Marron as often as possible.

Goku didn't know how he was going to manage that one, what with classes and homework.

He already thought he talked to her enough at school, but no, she informed him gravely, that simply would not do.

How else would he know, she explained patiently, how she was feeling right now, what she was thinking about, and how much she cared about him. These were things that simply needed to be said, and often.

Secondly was the one about talking to _other_ people_._

It was important, vitally so, that Goku make an effort not to associate with certain people, less popular, more povo people, Krillin included, while at school.

When Goku tried to explain, as reasonably as he could, that that rule didn't make much sense, as he too, by her standards, was povo, she had just laughed and said that his situation was different.

When he asked how it was, she had explained, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, that it was because he, like Bulma, was only a slightly poor person, not tragically so like Krillin, and had only recently become that way too.

Also, and most important, was that he was a good looking person.

That, she said, was the huge difference. Being a very attractive person made even extremely poor people acceptable.

Goku felt this was incredibly shallow. As much as he was trying to see things from her perspective, for the sake of their relationship, he just couldn't.

He couldn't imagine not wanting to talk to someone just because they were poor or ugly. It wasn't as if those things made you a mean person...

Giving up trying to understand his girl's logic, Goku's thoughts turned instead to Bulma, and how she too could think this way without being a hypocrite.

Bulma, from what Goku had learned, had lived at the Housing Block for some years now, ever since her Dad had left her and her Mum.

To Goku it was surprising that she too should be one to divide the world between the haves, and have-nots.

Goku felt ashamed for her, as she didn't seem to feel that way herself. He also felt his opinion of her drop substantially.

Which was a pity, as he had so wanted to like her, seeing as she lived nextdoor and all.

Falling back on his bed with a sigh, Goku felt so confused by the new world he inhabited, this one of rules that made no sense and social posturing.

He suddenly felt a longing for his carefree days spent with Krillin, shooting the breeze, joking around...

But those uncomplicated times had come to an end, and by his own hand too.

He scrunched his face in frustration, wishing he had have known what he was getting himself into, by agreeing to Bulma's request.

Were girls always this strange and demanding?

It seemed to Goku's mind, that most girls, well the ones he had interacted with anyway, had the single plan in mind to be as confusing and contrary as possible.

Giving up on his dilemma, Goku decided to go to bed. It was past midnight after all.

Pulling the covers up to his chin, he hoped he woke to a world that made more sense.

Meanwhile, in a bedroom nextdoor, Bulma Briefs was also doing some heavy thinking.

She too was staring to regret asking Goku to be Marron's boyfriend.

Her reasons for doing so were vastly different to Goku's though.

It was because he was such a nice, honest and genuine guy that she was feeling this way.

Oohh, she thought angrily, trust Goku to turn out that way!

She had been hoping, when she set them up, for him to be nothing more than a pretty face.

It figures Marron would get such a reliable sounding boy. She should have kept him for herself!

Marron had just rang her, you see, all gloating and glee, to inform Bulma on her new boyfriend's perfection. And to thank Bulma, with only a little obvious malice, for getting them together.

It was no secret to Marron, or even anyone else for that matter, that things were far from perfect in Bulma's relationship with Yamcha.

All their problems, Bulma was sure, stemmed from Yamcha's side of it too.

He never rang her when he was supposed too. Which unlike Marron's exacting standards, was not often at all.

She also was always having to chase him down, be it when he was goofing out at home, or off with his buddies, because he never remembered to tell her where he was.

Plus he never remembered what she had just said to him, something which just proved how little attention he was actually paying her.

And, she thought, becoming angrier still, whenever the topic of their future together came up, he would always shrug embarrassedly and change the subject.

What was there to be embarrassed about?! she raged, throwing her pillow across the room. What was it?!

Was it because there was something wrong about being seen with her? Was that it?

Or was it because she wasn't fun enough to hold his attention for very long? Because it always seemed to Bulma that when they spent time together, be it socially or even at school, his attention was somewhere else.

Bulma found she felt increasingly tired by the effort of carrrying the weight of their one-sided relationship.

She wished sometimes, that she could break it off with him, but then where did that leave her?

It was almost unthinkable to be single at her school. It made you a social pariah, a freak. It meant there was something terribly, irrefutably wrong with you.

Not for the first time Bulma wished things weren't so.

She wished she had the courage of people like Krillin, who didn't seem to care that people thought those things about them.

She wished she could not have to worry so much about her appearance, for while she was undoubtedly very pretty, she wasn't the beauty that Marron was.

It was something that people had always commented on, ever since they had become friends in grade 1.

That while they looked as though they could be twins, one of them, Marron, was always, invariably, referred to as the pretty one, where she, Bulma, was the smart one.

And she wished for, most of all, that she didn't have to keep lying about her family's circumstances.

While it was true her father had left them some two years ago, which forced her single mother to move them into this Housing Estate as she couldn't afford their mortgage on one salary, no the exact reason for his leaving them was one that Bulma couldn't _ever_ tell anyone it was so shameful.

She had since, any time it had come up told the rehearsed tale her Mum had drilled into her, with very little effort on her part, as she never wanted anyone to even hint at the truth.

These three things, above all others were things she wished for, with all her heart.

In a perfect world, Bulma thought sadly, she could be true to herself and _be_ herself, wholly, unashamedly and without fear, knowing it would never, could never be.

Suddenly feeling old beyond her sixteen years, Bulma crawled into her fluffy bed and curled into a ball, hugging herself to sleep.

AN – So, what do you think? To melodramatic? A bit too fluffy? Please leave a review and let me know. :)


	12. Chapter 12 - Stay Outta My Dreams

AN – Lucky you! You get two chapters today!

Chapter 12 – Stay Outta My Dreams

The rest of Goku's first week of school at Orange Star High passed without incident.

He spent his time at school divided between class and Marron, his time at home between homework and Marron, and his time asleep on Marron.

It was if she had invaded his very brain, he couldn't keep her from his mind.

Most of his dreams consisted of him running away from her, mind, so by time he awoke he was exhausted.

So when he was awakened, on Saturday morning, by the ringing of his mobile phone, he was at first hesitant to answer it.

It was Marron, for sure, calling to tell him, in her sickly sweet voice, that she missed him and wanting to know if he missed her.

Like they hadn't spent the better bart of the last night talking to each other! He wondered if he could get away with not answering her.

Maybe he could later tell her, when they went back to school, that he had dropped his phone in the dunny.

Would she believe that? He hoped so.

Turning away from his phone, he got out of bed with a languid stretch.

As he went into the jumbled mess that was his wardrobe, his phone thankfully fell silent.

Feling relieved beyond measure, Goku dressed for the day and made his way into the kitchen, where his father and brother already were, sitting at their battered dining table.

Making himself a piece of toast with Vegemite he sat down next to his Dad, when his phone could be heard ringing again.

Bardock looked at him with a raised brow. Goku shook his head in reply, saying "I'm not answering that."

Bardock gave him a worried frown. "Some sorta trouble, lad?" he asked with concern.

Again Goku shook his head "No, not really... Okay it's girl trouble." he finished in a rush, never being able to lie to his father well.

Radditz snickered loudly at this, while Bardock looked at Goku speculatively, before he clipped Radditz over the head.

"Well, if there's ever anything you want to talk about..." Bardock said gently, while Radditz rubbed the back of his head with a scowl.

"No, its okay Dad. I've got it all under control." Goku said, hoping it was true.

Just then a knock sounded at the front door. Goku, glad to change the subject, sad quickly "I'll get it!" before nearly running to the door.

Just as he reached it he was hit by a sudden sickening thought.

What if it was Marron? No, it couldn't be right? Not this fast, not unless she had some kinda scary super girlfriend power of appearing instantly at his house.

The knock sounded again, much louder this time.

His father yelled from the kitchen "Aren't you going to get that!?"

So it was, with much trepidation, that Goku opened the door and found...

Krillin standing on the doorstep.

Goku heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Boy, am I glad to see it's you."

Looking around him quzzically, Krillin said "Who'd you expect it to be? Fabio? Because I've always been told I could pass for his double." he then laughed at his own joke.

"No, I seriosusly thought you were Marron."Goku admitted.

Krillin now fluffed at imaginary hair, saying "I always knew I was a looker, but I never knew I could pass for a girl. Is that why you like me so much?" he cackled evilly.

Goku, losing his patience with his friend, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into the house.

"Will you be serious for once?" he asked a preening Krillin, who was now pouting like a fool and batting his eyelashes at Goku.

"Why? Did you cat die? If it did I'm sorry mate." Krillin said cutting off his act.

"No, I don't have a cat, or a dog for that matter. It's just... Well..." he wasn't sure how to tell his friend he was scared of a girl and not look stupid.

"If this is about a dead fish, I'm sorry but I can't-"

Losing all of his patience Goku roared "I don't have a bloody fish! I don't have any pets! Will you stop acting like an idiot and let me finish?!"

Now Krillin looked hurt. "I'm sorry, mate..." he said, ashamedly. "I was just joking..."

Goku now feeling guity said "No, I know, I know... It's just that... Well... Do you ever take _anything_ seriously?"

Krillin spread his hands helplessly, saying "I do. I can. It's just a way I've learned to react to things. Sorry if I offended you."

Here he bowed formally before Goku, who went red with embarrassment.

"No... Stop it... "he spluttered. But it was too late, Goku's Dad and brother had just come into the front hallway, to see what all the noise was about.

Radditz on seeing the diminutive, bald teen bowing to his brother, burst into a gale of laughter, pointing his finger at them.

Bardock merely looked surprised for a second, before he raised his fist threateningly at Radditz, cutting his laughter off in an instant.

"Who's this young fella?"Bardock asked his youngest son.

Goku introduced them. Krillin, for his part had finally managed to look ashamed of himself and had gone as red as a beet, right across his head.

"Hello," he squeeked. "Nice to meet you."

Radditz, losing interest in the situation, retreated into his room, from where then came the shrieks and thrashing of his music.

Bardock smiled openly at both boys. "It's very nice to meet you to." He said to Krillin.

"I'll leave you too it." He finished, nodding at Goku and heading back to the kitchen.

Goku, suddenly remembering what he had been going to say before Krillin distracted him, said "No, seriously, Marron's been calling me all morning. I don't wanna talk to her right now, 'cos I spent all of last night doing that." here he sighed heavily, "You don't know what a nightmare she can be. Literally. " He finished pointedly.

Krillin looked surprised. "Whoa! You've got it bad, mate! And here I was feeling all sorry for myself, 'cos you went and got yourself a fancy girl..."

Goku gave him a warning look. "Sorry, sorry, I know, be serious. What are you going to do about her?" he asked quietly.

Goku shrugged, helplessly. "I dunno... I seriously don't know. I've tried to tell her she doesn't need to call me so often, but she won't listen. She insits that it's necessary, saying "It's the proper way to behave" when I try to reason her outta it. I wouldn't mind the calls, honestly, if she could limit them to only five a day." He said, leaning tiredly back against the wall.

"I'm sorry about that, mate..." Krillin said, touching Goku on the elbow. "Do you want me to break up with her for you? I can be all like "Piss off ya she devil, leave my mate alone!" If you'd like."

Goku tried to frown at Krillin then but only ended up laughing. "Could you seriously imagine the look on her face if you did!?"

Krillin started laughing too saying "I think her head might explode!" he managed to get his laughter under control, then saying "But all jokes aside, if you want me to help you I will."

Goku felt warmed by offer. It was really very kind of Krillin, to offer to stick his neck out for him like that. He had never had a friend like that before.

He smiled genuinely at his small friend. "Nah, it's okay mate. I figured away around the calls for now, anyway. I'm gonna tell her I dropped my phone in the toilet."

Krillin snorted a laugh "Do you think she'll fall for the "piss phone" excuse?"

Goku shook his head saying "I dunno, but I'm gonna try it anyway."

They lapsed into a silence for a moment until Krillin, gasping said "Geeze! You made me forget the reason I came here!"

Goku asked quickly "Why? What happened?"

Krillin, face glowing at being the bearer of such gossip, said with glee "The coppers are here! The nabbed one of the King boys trying to knock off some crap from the convenience store, you know the one owned by Chichi's parents."

This stunned Goku " Really?! How do you know? Which one?"

Krillin shook his head "I know 'cos I saw them draging him past my house telling him off for what he'd done, and then I raced down here to get you. There's all hell breaking loose up there I bet!"

Goku wished he could share his friends glee at such a prospect, but after his encounter with Vegeta on the stairs, he couldn't help but feel sickened with worry by such news.

The two boys, one nearly jumping with anticipation, the other nearly reeling with fear, made their way out the front door and towards the fourth floor landing, where a group of the other residents were gathered.

Goku hoped that whatever they found, Vegeta and his brother were alright.

AN – So how's the story going? Do you like my characters? Who should the thief be, Vegeta or Tarble? Reveiw to let me know!


	13. Chapter 13 - Less Than Zero

AN – I am worried about this chapter. Try as I might, I just couldn't get it the way I wanted.

Chapter 13 – Less Than Zero

Standing beside her mother, at the rear of the milling crowd assembled in front of the King's apartment, Bulma wondered what had happened _this_ time.

It was no secret that the Kings were a troubled family, the police having been called to their address many times it the past.

Bulma knew of one instance, it had happened not long after she had moved in, where the police's armoured unit was called here, after it was reported that Mr King was threatening to shoot one of his sons.

It had been terrifying for the then fourteen year old Bulma, only new to the world of public housing, to witness the police in their flack jackets and helmets, rifles drawn at the ready, marching in a single file up the side of the Housing Block and into the King's apartment.

It had turned out, in the end, to be a false alarm. There was no guns found in their apartment, only a heavily intoxicated Mr King, who was led, ranting and bellowing threats to kill, out of the Block by his armed escort, and taken away for questioning.

Some of the police had stayed behind, to question the neighbours and the King boys.

One of them, a young woman, had been cornered by Bulma's Mum, who had pressed her for information. Bulma shook her head in remembering that.

Her mother was a terrible gossip, who would do almost anything to get some new, juicy, information.

The constable had told her, that no, there was no guns found, only a severely drunk man and two terrified children.

That was the problem for them now, the police officer had said, of what to do with the boys.

As they were only fourteen and ten, respectively, it was impossible for them to be left alone in their apartment.

Unless someone could be found to care for them, they would have to go into a foster home, and likely be separated, something which the elder boy was heavily resisting.

The police had already, the officer explained further, called the Department of Human Services to see if suitable homes could be found at such short notice, but it seemed unlikely that they would be able to place them yet, the older boy especially because of his belligerent attitude, and they would probably have to go to a boys home until they could be placed into foster care.

"Well," Bulma's mother had asked, "what about the boy's mother?"

She, the young cop explained, couldn't be found. Either at her supposed address, or by phone.

It also seemed that the boy's had no other living relatives to take them in.

Bulma's mother had frowned in consternation at this, and Bulma could see where her thoughts were going.

No, she had thought, don't say what I think you will...

And sure enough, "Well what if I were to offer to look after them. At least until a home can be found."

The officer had looked surprised. "Are you sure?" she had said, "I will admit that while it's a little unusual, it would certainly be allowed."

Here she had paused, considering, before she had continued "I will warm you that the boys are a little... rough, and you might not want to expose your daughter to that."

Bulma's Mum had looked at her bracingly then, saying "We'll manage, won't we dear? We are tough girls, after all, and all those boys probably need is a woman's love and gentle touch."

Bulma had looked doubtful about this, thinking that it would take a lot more than a woman's love to change Vegeta King.

But there was no use in arguing that, as her once her Mum made up her mind she was impossible to convince otherwise.

And so, it was decided, much to Bulma's enthusiasm, that the King boys would stay with them until a suitable home could be found for them.

Bulma had rued the fact that her mother could be so caring about others .It was like she was some sort of avenging angel for the needy.

She was always the first person to offer to help someone, anyone, no matter who they were or what they had done.

It was like she somehow could save them.

They weren't stay animals though, Bulma had thought, to be rescued. No, they were people, with real problems and flaws, potentially dangerous ones.

Even though they were in this case, as her Mum pointed out to her when she had tried to explain this, just children.

But, Bulma had argued, they still were ones who had in the past shown very little consideration for other people or their possessions.

It was in fact the first thing Bulma and her mother had been told, when they were introduced to the neighbours, that any time anything went missing around here, you could be sure that one of the Kings was responsible.

But no, there were children to be rescued and that was all there was to it, to Bunny Briefs' mind.

Telling them that they were all hers to deal with, the police officer had let them pass and enter the King's apartment.

It had been an eye opening experience for Bulma.

Used to her mother's own exacting clean standards, the King home in comparison looked like a third world hovel.

Dust coated all surfaces thickly and filled the air as their passage disturbed it.

The walls, yellowed with the grime of cigarette smoke had holes in quite a few of them. Only two of the rooms had doors on them, the others all ripped from their hinges.

In the kitchen where her Mum and the boys were, Bulma saw a table covered in ciggie butts and beer bottles.

The place also stank, the reason soon became apparent as there was a massive pile of filled garbage bags in one corner beside the fridge.

The boys had been standing in the other corner, beside a broken dishwasher, Vegeta protectively in front of Tarble, his face a bloodied mess.

Her mother was speaking to them quietly, no doubt telling them of their new living arrangements. Vegeta's face, what you could see around the blood, had paled as she spoke.

He shook his head vehemently, saying"No... No way! We don't need anyone's help!"

Bunny and the remaining police officers had then had to convince an incredibly reluctant Vegeta to stay at the Briefs', telling him to do it for his brother's sake.

This seemed to finally get through to him and he finally, ungraciously accepted.

Bulma had then taken the young frightened Tarble by his hand, all wide eyed terror, and led him out of the apartment, while her Mum followed with the police and Vegeta.

Making their way past the gathered neighbours, Bulma had felt their eyes on her, and could hear the gossip starting already. She had tried not to care.

Her Mum was right, she had tried to convince herself, they were doing a good thing.

Reaching their home, she had let them in, Tarble still gripping her hand tightly.

The police had come in with them, to leave some contact numbers with her Mum just in case things got out of hand. Finally they had left, and it was just the four of them in the apartment.

Bunny, briskly taking things in hand, had said first things first, was for the boys to wash up, while she made them a snack.

She had then smiled at them saying she had never known boys who weren't hungry. Tarble had meekly smiled back, while Vegeta had stood there, face impassive.

Bulma had shown them where the bathroom was, then gone back to the kitchen to wait with her Mum.

It had hurt her, the way that the Tarble had stared in open wonder at their home.

It had hit her then, the enormity of the boys desperate situation, and she had felt terrible for judging them so quickly.

It had made her feel like nothing, less than nothing.

Several minutes later Tarble had come out, face freshly scrubbed, and eagerly sat at the table.

When his brother didn't emerge, Bulma was sent to see if he was alright. Knocking tentatively on the door Bulma had waited for a response.

When she hadn't got one she had hesitantly opened the door to find that Vegeta was gone. He had escaped out the bathroom window.

Bulma had ran back into the kitchen, to tell her Mum.

Leaving a distressed Tarble at home they had gone looking for Vegeta.

They had never found him.

Bulma had spent a sleepless night worrying over his fate, feeling somehow responsible for his disappearance. If anything bad had happened to him...

It had turned out that she had worried needlessly, as the very next day, after he had sobered up, Mr King had returned with Vegeta in tow to collect Tarble.

He had had a social worker with him too, one who was supposed to be there to make sure that he behaved and now knew how to look after his sons.

It was, Bulma had realised, a terrible truth of the way things worked, that no matter how badly a parent treated their kids, they would always have the right to them, like children were a possession.

They had had no choice but to hand a reluctant Tarble over to his father.

Standing here as she was now, outside the King's apartment once more, some two years older and wiser, it seemed to Bulma that some things were just never meant to change.

Some people, however much they were victims of their circumstances, were also responsible for changing them, once they were capable of doing so.

If it turned out the thief was Vegeta, who at 16 was now old enough to live on his own, Bulma would feel...

Well disappointed, for a start, knowing that if it were she who was raised in such a dire situation, she would do anything, _everything_ in her power, once she came of age, to escape the circumstances of such an existence.

Unlawful behaviour would only create a cycle of self defeat and misery, she thought, becoming a way of life.

Secondly, it made her angry.

How dare he do such a stupid thing! What would happen if the Mao's press charges? He would end up in jail, that's what!

And then where would that leave him? Or his poor brother? Alone with their brute of a father.

How could he be so stupid as to risk not only his own fate, but that of Tarble too? And for what? For what paltry, invaluable thing had he risked his freedom?

She had been into the Mao's store often enough to know that while they had a wide variety of stock, it was all things of very little value.

Trying to understand why she felt these things, both disappointed and angry, was a struggle for Bulma.

Why, a cold voice in her mind said, should you care what happens to him? It's not _your_ life that's in jeopardy. It's not your family who's going to suffer.

Yes, why? She asked herself, _why_ did she care, for she found that she certainly did.

Maybe it was because he was her own age that she empathised with his situation, or maybe it was because he went to her school...

No, that wasn't it at all.

The real reason, she came to feel so disappointed in him was because she had thought him smarter than that.

The few times she had interacted with him, either around home, or at school, he had seemed, when she could get anything out of him, to be like her. A deep thinker, someone who always planned ahead.

The fact that he might have done something so enormous in it's stupidity, made her feel less of him in a way she wasn't quite comfortable too.

Why should she worry about her opinion of him so much? It wasn't as though he was anything to her. Or she anything to him.

It was, just maybe, that she had come to develop a little respect for Vegeta. Respect for his shrewdness at providing for his brother, as she knew he must.

She admired his resilience, seeing him beaten down but never beaten in spirit. She knew for sure that she would never have been able to stay so strong living with a parent like he had.

But why, she begged her mind, why do I care? Vegeta King is no-one to me, less than nothing...

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the reappearance of the police officers, who proceeded to talk to the Mao's who were waiting in the crowd.

Bulma's mother tried to edge closer to them, in order to hear what they were saying.

Bulma shook her head at her Mum's predictability. She always had to be the first with gossip.

Sighing at the confused inner workings of her mind, she made her way to the edge of the gathered neighbours and leaned on the railing of the Block's walkway.

Hearing footsteps approaching she turned her head to see Goku and Krillin climbing the stairs.

"So, did you see him? Do you know what he stole?" Krillin asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

She shook her head. "The cops are telling the Mao's what happens now." she answered.

Goku looked as worried as she felt, although she was doing a better job of keeping it from her face.

"I guess we'll find out now." Goku said.

Bulma turning to look in the direction he was, saw her mother approaching them, her face torn between worry and glee.

Whatever they found out, Bulma hoped it wasn't as bad as she was expecting.

AN – So, which King boy is in trouble? Review to let me know what you think.


	14. Chapter 14 - Twelve Black Rainbows

Chapter 14 – Twelve Black Rainbows

Standing in the kitchen of his filthy home, Vegeta still couldn't believe what was happening.

The two police officers, their faces wearing obvious distaste at their surroundings, had just informed Vegeta that the Mao's were pressing charges.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Vegeta asked them, not really wanting to hear the answer, what happened now.

"Well," the more senior of the officers said with a frown "It could mean something as simple as a good behaviour bond and a fine. Or it could mean..." here he trailed of looking at Vegeta with pity.

Vegeta, suddenly feeling unreasonably angry, managed to grate out "Just tell me god-damn you."

"Look," the copper said, with a heavy sigh, "I won't lie to you... It could very well mean time in Juvenile Detention."

Vegeta felt the world drop out from underneath him. Jail! I can't be! He thought with despair. How on earth would he survive this?!

Vegeta sat down at the table heavily, and put his face in his hands. Tarble standing beside him, put a hand, gently, on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry... I'm so,so sorry..." he whispered, on the verge of tears. Vegeta looked up at him, his face ashen.

The four males were the only ones in the apartment, Vegeta's father, thankfully, having left earlier on one of his rare excursions out of the house.

It was only to buy more beer, Vegeta was sure, but he was still glad for his fathers absence.

A sullen silence fell over the room, broken only by the dripping of the sink.

Finally one of the police spoke. "You'll have to come to the station with us, you understand, for questioning. It's procedure, you should know, to have a parent or guardian present, as you're still a minor."

Vegeta's head snapped up at this. "No, no that's not a good idea. I can manage it. I am nearly seventeen after all." He desperately wanted to keep this from his father, if possible.

"I don't think that'll work, son..." the older of the two officers said, gently. "The courts wouldn't accept it. At the very least a social worker will be assigned to you. For this and for other obvious reasons..." he finished, looking around their hovel of a home with a expression of thinly veiled disgust.

Vegeta looked at the coppers in shock. No, they didn't want that! That was the last thing he or Tarble needed in their lives. A meddling do-gooder who would only cause them trouble. The first and foremost being that it would send their father berserk!

"No," Vegeta said, firmly. "No, social workers. We can handle this on our own. We've done so in the past."

The older cop looked at him in wonder, spreading his hands helplessly saying "We'll, it's not really up to you, kiddo. The courts will decide the proper course of action. Or we could take it up with your father..."

Vegeta blanched at this. His father! He would be due home soon.

It was the last thing Vegeta wanted, for his father to come home while the police were still here, because he couldn't trust how he would behave.

He could imagine Vegeta Snr.'s reaction to the news one of his boys was in trouble again. The last time he had nearly chocked Vegeta into unconsciousness, until Tarble had pulled him off.

"Look," he said briskly to the police, "Isn't there any way we can settle this with the Mao's and not get the authorities involved?" He wasn't hopeful of this, but it was worth a shot.

The older, more senior cop shook his head. "It's not very likely as they're mad as hell, and want to press charges. Plus," he added folding his arms in front of his chest "It's not the first time your brother's done something like this."

Vegeta felt a surge of anger at the officer's tone, but it was quickly doused with the realisation the he was right, after all. It wasn't the first time Tarble had stolen something.

Vegeta looked helplessly at his brother, having run out of idea's that might spare them further complications.

Tarble look back at him bleakly. His usual belief that his elder brother could save him finally extinguished. He looked as if he was going to faint.

"It's time to go, lad." the police said. They held out a pair of cuffs.

Vegeta bristled instantly. "No, don't do that to him... Please." he begged, mindful of the gawking crowd who was assembled outside their home.

If he couldn't save his brother from his fate, he could at least try to save him the indignity of being handcuffed.

Looking at him, considering, the officer finally nodded putting his cuffs away before saying, "Only if he promises to behave."

Tarble nodded, then he turned to look at his brother, eyes swimming with tears. "I'm sorry 'Geta..." he whispered. Vegeta returned his look, heart breaking.

"It's okay Tarble... I know you didn't mean to..."

Tarble hugged him, starting to cry. Vegeta, feeling helpless beyond compare, patted him on the head gently, which started his brother's crying in earnest.

The police then separated them, taking Tarble by his arms.

Vegeta looked at his brother, and at imaging his little sibling in jail, his mind's eye unwillingly clothed him in one of those old-fashioned prison garbs, the ones with black and white stripes.

Seeing Tarble, in his imagination, dressed in those twelve black rainbows, nearly destroyed Vegeta.

How could I let this happen! His mind screamed at him, I'm supposed to protect him, be a role model for him!

Vegeta knew, in his soul, that he had failed his brother in those two respects, something which now caused him much anguish and despair.

He reached out for Tarble, as the police led him away, out the front door and through the milling crowd, his voice frozen in his throat.

The door closed after them, and they were gone.

Vegeta sank back down into his chair, in the now empty apartment, feeling just as empty inside.

There was nothing he could do, he realised, nothing to be done now, except to wait for his father to come home from the bottle shop.

And wouldn't THAT be something, his mind suddenly reminding him, to have to be the one to break the news of Tarble's apprehension.

He suddenly felt very afraid, of his father's reaction to such information, knowing full well how badly he would take it.

He hoped, so fiercely it hurt, that his father was in a good mood today. His Dad's moods meant the difference between a bruise and a broken bone.

The sound of the front door opening roused Vegeta from his thoughts.

As his Father entered the apartment, arms full of beer slabs, he braced him self for what was to come.


	15. Chapter 15 - Everything Dies

Chapter 15 – Everything Dies

Watching the police take Tarble away, Goku felt terrible for the younger King boy.

He knew if it were himself in police custody, he would be terrified. What happened to kids, he wondered, when they go to jail? Is it as bad as the adult's one?

Krillin's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Boy that sure was something,huh?" he ran a hand across his bald pate. "I'll bet you never thought it was _Tarble_ who got nabbed!" he said gleefully.

Goku wished he could share his friends enthusiasm. To him it felt, well... yucky.

He felt both anxious for the young boy and afraid. Bulma, standing beside him looked as though she shared his thoughts.

When he asked her what she thought though, she said "Well what else did he think would happen?! He got what he deserved really! I'm just surprised it didn't happen any sooner, what with being such a feral and all." She finished with a smug nod.

Goku couldn't believe she felt that way. He didn't believe it, not from the way her face had looked only moments before. He stared at her face, looking for any traces of her previous expression.

She blinked at him and said, indignantly "What! Well, am I wrong?!"

Goku sighed, and gave up with a shrug. He turned to Krillin who was standing on his toes, in order to watch Tarble being bundled into the divvy van. "Well, what do you think?" he asked him.

"Hmm? What do I think?" Krillin replied "I think it sucks alright! Imagine stealing something from the neighbours and then having to live with 'em! It's no wonder, really, that everyone hates the Kings." he finished with confidence.

Goku, didn't share his sentiment. "I don't hate them." he said slowly "I feel sorry for them, I think." he scratched his head.

At least he hoped he did. He didn't want to be one of those people who found the misfortune of others amusing.

"Anyway, now that the show's over, what do you wanna do now?" Krillin asked Goku.

Goku shrugged, he hadn't any idea. He turned to Bulma expectantly. She merely pouted at him as in saying "how should I know."

Krillin then said, jumping excitedly, "I know! You guys wanna come to my house? We just got an air cooler, and it's way hot out here."

He wasn't wrong about that, it must have been nearly 40.

So it was decided that the three of them would go to Krillin's to escape the heat. Goku was interested to see his house, to see how his friend lived. Bulma on the other hand looked bored.

Entering Krillin's blissfully cool home they were greeted by a small mousy woman.

She beamed at them when they were introduced as Krillin's "friends." She told them that as Krillin's Mum she was pleased to have them stay, as long as they like, and whenever they wanted.

"Geeze, Ma..." Krillin said, blushing. "You only just met them and you're already offering them the house!"

"Well! I know when I'm not wanted!" she said in mock affront, then she winked at them before adding "I'll just be in the kitchen, love, if you need me."

"Ma!" Krillin said, going bright red. He proceeded to shoo his Mum away while Goku and Bulma laughed. "Geeze, she's so annoying." he huffed.

He then led them into the lounge room, where the air cooler was, and they sank gratefully into the assembled chairs.

Goku looked around the room with interest, as he had been wondering at Krillin's family situation.

Krillin, every time Goku had asked him in the past, had always been very evasive.

He wondered idly why? It didn't look like there was anything for Krillin to be ashamed of, his home was neat, clean and smelled delicious.

His Mum who must have been baking, was warm, friendly and she seemed funny too.

Goku was a bit jealous, it he were to admit it.

Bulma sat with her cradling her face in her hands, her elbows on her knees, letting the cool air waft over her with a faraway smile on her face.

Krillin sat, sprawled over two seats on the sofa, and Goku occupied the last remaining chair near a table covered in photo frames.

It was these that held his interest.

There were many pictures of Krillin, throughout all stages of his life, pictures of Mrs Castano too.

And, in some of them, pictures of a young boy, his head also shaven.

Goku picked one of them up and studied it.

The photo within was one of both Krillin and the boy, who looked younger, smiling at the camera, the sun glinting off their bald heads.

"Who's this kid?" Goku asked Krillin, thinking it must be a cousin, because he could see a family resemblance.

Krillin got up slowly from the sofa and took the photo off Goku with an unreadable expression on his face. He looked at the picture for a long time without answering.

Goku felt immediately that he had done something wrong. "I'm sorry..." he began "I didn't mean to pry..."

"No, it's fine." Krillin finally said. He then smiled at Goku and turned the photo around to face him. "This is Chastin." he said "My lil' brother."

Goku was confused. "You told me you didn't have a brother." he said slowly.

"So I did." Krillin said his smile falling. "I don't. At least, not anymore."

Goku felt dreadful. Guilt crawled it's way up his spine, and he wished the ground would open and swallow him up.

"I'm sorry... I never knew..." he whispered.

Looking up from the photo Krillin said "What? No, it's okay. I should have told you earlier."

Bulma now studied the two of them silently, her interest piqued.

My brother, Chastin, died five years ago. He had leukaemia, you see." Krillin offered in explanation. "This photo was taken in his last year. We went to the beach, 'cos Chastin wanted to see the waves one more time..."

Krillin stood there, looking sadly at the photo

. Goku felt like he should look elsewhere, so naked was Krillin's expression.

Finally Krillin smiled. He said "This was just after I shaved my head. To be like him, you see. I wanted him to feel better about loosing his hair, and it was the best way to. Chastin loved it. He said we looked like a pair of walnuts!" Krillin laughed.

Goku smiled kindly at him. "It sounds like he had a good sense of humour."

Nodding Krillin said "He sure did! He would always tell me to lighten up because, back then, I used to be so serious."

He raised his eyebrows at the quizzical look on Goku's face. "You don't believe me? Fine, but I'll tell you that before Chastin got sick he always was the joker in the family, not me."

This was a revelation to Goku, as he couldn't imagine a Krillin who didn't make fun of everything and ridicule everyone equally.

Recalling something else Krillin had just said, Goku asked "Is that why you keep your head shaved now? I had honestly thought you did it as a fashion statement."

Krillin laughed again, running a hand along his head.

"Yeah, I do it to keep his memory alive. I felt he suffered so much in such a short time, that what would it hurt me to suffer a little for a while." here he blinked owlishly at Goku before adding "And besides, without hair to distract, it really draws attention to my beautiful eyes, don't ya think?"

He said this last part so seriously that Goku didn't know how to respond.

"Ah... "he finally managed, as it was clear that Krillin was waiting for an answer. "Of course it does! You have very nice eyes. Very pretty." He felt so awkward right now, but he didn't want to offend his friend.

Both Bulma and Krillin burst out laughing. "I was joking, you mook!" he said holding his stomach. "I don't want you going all mushy on me!"

Bulma roared with laughter.

Goku went red with embarrassment. "Well, what else was I supposed to say to that! No, Krillin, you have a rat's eyes?!" He felt a sense of wounded pride, to be laughed at so.

Managing to get his laughter under control, Krillin finally said "Okay, okay. I'm sorry Goku. Really sorry. I didn't mean to make you look silly, it's just that, well, you make it so easy sometimes."

Bulma was smothering her mouth with her hand. She looked at Goku pitiably then, and said "You walked right into that one Goku!" Before she openly laughed again.

"Well, fine! Go on laugh at me then." Goku huffed, resuming his seat dejectedly. "I'm glad to know you two find death so funny." He said in a surly tone.

This stopped their laughter immediately.

Bulma even had the decency to look ashamed.

Krillin came over and sat on the arm of Goku's chair.

"Nah, mate." he said quietly "I don't find it funny at all. But it's a fact of life that, someday or another, everything dies. I find it better to laugh at life everyday than to lament a death endlessly. Chastin would have wanted it."

Goku looked at Krillin. He was smiling at Goku.

"Okay. I see your point." Goku said, feeling he now understood his friend a lot better. "Chastin sounded like he was awesome."

Krillin nodded, getting up from his perch and returning to the sofa "He sure was, our Chas."

Right then Krillin's Mum came in with a plate covered in steaming biscuits, fresh from the oven.

"Here, help yourself." she said to them, placing the plate on a coffee table in the middle of the room. "I thought I'd better come in and see what all the noise was about." She added, running her hands along her apron "You were making enough noise to wake the dead."

Goku swallowed hard. That had been to close to the truth for his comfort.

Krillin merely smiled at her saying "I wish we were, Ma, I wish we were..." his voice trailed off and he looked distant.

"Well, you three enjoy yourselves, you hear? She finished, smiling at them before re-entering the kitchen.

Goku sat uncomfortably, looking down at the jammy biscuit in his hand. Bulma, fidgeting with her hair and looked worried.

Finally Krillin spoke. "You guys wanna watch a movie?" he asked.

Goku nodded, gratefully, happy to change the subject.

Bulma said "What have you got?"

Krillin went over to a cabinet and opened the doors, revealing rows of DVDs. Turning back to them he said "Not much I'm afraid."

Scooting closer, Goku saw that a lot of them had foreign titles.

"What's this?" he asked pulling one out. It featured a beautiful woman in brightly coloured clothes.

"It's my Ma's. In fact a lot of them are. She just absolutely _loves_ Bollywood movies." he explained, shaking his head. "I don't know how she can sit through three hours of singing and dancing honestly..." he sighed dramatically.

Bulma took the case out of Goku's hand, and read the back "A tale of love and passion? Sounds like my kinda movie."

"Shh!" Krillin hissed "Be careful where you say that! Or else Ma'll make us sit through another round of this" here he pranced around theatrically.

Goku laughed. Bulma said indignantly, sticking her nose in the air, "Well, _I_ happen to like the sound of that!"

Goku laughed again.

And so they spent the rest of the day, engaged in jokes and small talk, until well after the sun went down.

Goku realising the time bade farewell to his friend, thanks to his hostess, and made his way home with Bulma.

Reaching her door, he told her "Bye, maybe I'll see you tomorrow." She nodded at him smiling, before entering her home.

Goku went to his own door.

Making his way inside, as silently as possible, Goku thought back on his day.

It had sure been an eventful one. Kicking off his shoes once in his room, Goku climbed, fully clothed into his bed, grateful for the peace and quiet.

He had just dozed of when he was awoken by the almighty noise coming from the apartment upstairs.

AN – So what do you think? Please let me know!


	16. Chapter 16 - Blood and Fire

AN – Be warned, I get a little (melo)dramatic in this one. Sorry.

Chapter 16 – Blood and Fire

Settling down into her bed, Bulma's thoughts were filled with what had happened today.

It had been a shock, quite a large one, to learn that it was Tarble who had robbed the Mao's store.

She never would have though that shy, meek Tarble was capable of such a thing.

I guess it shows you, she mused, that you can never truly know people.

She wondered, idly, what Tarble's arrest had meant for the remaining King men.

Mr King was probably too drunk to care, she surmised.

It was common knowledge around here, that Vegeta Snr. spent most of his time intoxicated to the point of oblivion.

He was probably so off his head that he wouldn't even notice Tarble's absence.

And what about Vegeta...?

Well, she guessed, it must have hit him hard.

She knew, from past experience, that the Kings boys were incredibly close. To be separated in such a way, must have been terribly hard on them.

And the fact that Tarble faced time in jail would be devastating.

How could it get so bad, at such a young age? She asked herself, rolling onto her back to stare at her star covered ceiling.

Maybe it was their poverty that had driven him to crime?

She knew, her mother telling her excitedly as soon as she got home, that what Tarble had stolen was food.

She shivered, thinking that how horrible it must be, if you had to steal in order to eat. She couldn't imagine having to live such a desperate existence.

She shivered, telling herself that, in spite of how she felt about her living situation at times, she was incredibly lucky.

To live in a stable, loving home was something the King boys had never known.

Never having to worry about where your next meal was coming from, to not even having to consider the prospect of being assaulted, where things in Bulma's world, not theirs.

It was something you just couldn't help, she decided, who your family was, but being related by blood didn't give you the right to abuse or neglect someone.

The star stickers in her room twinkled coldly down at her, and she remembered, with a small smile how she had nagged fer Mum, as soon as they had moved in, to put them up there, telling her it was because she had an interest in astronomy.

It was, in fact, because she was terribly afraid of being alone in the dark.

It was something that made her feel embarrassed as what did she have to be afraid of? It wasn't as if anything bad could happen to her, safe as she was in her bed, right?

Telling herself to stop being dramatic, she rolled back onto her side and thought about what had happened at Krillin's today.

It had been a surprise to learn that he had had a brother. And a terrible shock to hear of his passing.

She had never know these things about Krillin, even after living so near him for years. She had simply never thought to ask.

She frowned to herself, considering the reasons for her distancing herself from Krillin in the past. It was not something she had ever spent much time on before.

It was, she decided, because she was worried about her image at school.

Starting at Orange Star High some three years ago, Bulma had found herself desperately wanting to fit in.

It was a world of cliques and outcasts, cool kids and losers.

She and her friend Marron had decided, upon starting the year as the new kids again, that they would do _anything_ to be amongst the popular people.

It was something to be admired, esteemed and it was no easy task.

She remembered the first lesson to be learned was that it was important, vitally so, to only associate with the acceptable people.

Poor people, ugly people, were define no-nos.

That's how it came to be that she never paid Krillin the time of day, even though he was a neighbour and a nice guy to boot.

She felt guilty thinking this.

The second rule she and Marron had learned was that your own appearance was also incredibly important.

That's why Bulma dressed the way she did at school, with her uniform taken up as high as was allowed, and pulling it in tight at the back with a hair tie.

It wasn't as though she was a slut, as some people thought.

It was because that's what Marron had decided to do and Bulma had desperately wanted to keep up with her.

That meant following Marron's rules and dress code.

It was something that caused her considerable anguish, her friendship with Marron.

It was hard to keep up with her ever changing rules on what was acceptable, who was acceptable.

It was difficult to stay up to date with her fashion guidelines.

It was, hardest of all, to compete with her beauty.

Bulma knew that she herself was a very pretty girl, but next to Marron, that's all she would ever be, pretty.

This was an issue Bulma had always had with her best friend.

Growing up together Bulma had always been painfully aware of people's comments, comparing the two of them side by side.

They usually were referred to as twins by most, which only seemed to increase to amount of things people tried to find different between them.

It hurt sometimes, what they had to say.

It was for this reason that Bulma was filled with such insecurity about herself at times.

Even though, on the outside at least she was a picture of confidence, inwardly she was filled with self doubt.

She doubted even most of the relationships in her life, the reasons for them, her one with Yamcha included.

Was she only going through the motions in order to fulfil some social obligation?

Maybe was she simply over thinking things?

Yeah, that was probably it, she decided tiredly deciding to try and get some sleep.

She had just closed her eyes when a loud bang echoed throughout the Housing Block.

Sitting up in bed she clutched her blankets to her chest in fear.

It sounded like it had come from upstairs.

She sat quietly holding her breath, listening out for any more noise.

She heard nothing.

After waiting several more minutes she decided it was probably over and lay back down.

Just as she closed her eyes, when she heard a roar of noise followed by the sound of glass smashing.

Jumping out of bed she threw on her dressing gown before running though her apartment for the front door.

Reaching the front of her house she saw that the front windows were illuminated by a red glow.

Wrenching the door open, her heart in her chest, Bulma ran out on to the landing and nearly collided with Goku.

"What's going on?!" she asked him in fright.

"I think there's a fire..." he said numbly, looking up in the direction of the fourth floor. The fourth floor... that could only mean...

"Are they okay?!" Bulma asked Goku, "Has anyone seen them?!"

Goku shook his head, saying "I dunno, I just got out here."

His father and brother came out of the apartment then, sleepily pulling on clothes.

"I just called the firies, the should be here soon -" Goku's father said, before another round of glass breaking cut him off.

They all looked at each other in fear, before heading towards the fourth floor landing.

As they neared the top of the stairs, the heat from the flames spewing out of the King's apartment kept them away.

The windows exploded outwards, showering glass everywhere. Fire blazed out of the empty frames and the roof.

The front door stood open. Smoke billowed out of it.

"Oh god, where are they?!" Bulma shrieked, grabbing Goku's arm.

"You three stay out here," Bardock said gruffly, "I'll go in and -"

A shadowy shape appeared in the doorway.

It was Vegeta, struggling to carry the weight of his father. He managed to get them clear of the doorway before dropping his father onto the ground.

Bulma nearly collapsed in relief. She ran to Vegeta's side as he stood there in shock, black with soot and grime.

"Are you okay?" she asked him tentatively. He just stared at her, his face expressionless.

The sound of sirens approaching, visibly calmed everyone down, as the fire trucks pulled into the parking lot.

Bulma's Mum appeared beside them, wrapped in a gown, tears running down her face."Oh, dear... oh no..." she said.

The fire fighter's came charging up the stairs dragging a massive hose behind them. They quickly put out the fire.

As they left the building having handed it over to the arson squad, they stopped to check on Vegeta and Mr King.

Vegeta brushed off their inquiries, telling them he was fine.

They turned their attention to his father. Vegeta Snr. was still lying unconscious, on the ground.

It turned out he had inhaled quite a bit of smoke, so they firies called an ambulance.

While they waited for the ambos to get there, Bulma turned to Vegeta, asking "What happened? How did the fire start?"

He shook his head, taking some time to answer. "I don't know..." he finally said "I honestly don't know."

The paramedics arrived, and after checking both Vegeta and his dad, they decided that Mr. King would need to go to the hospital.

After putting him on a stretcher and loading him in the ambulance, they told Vegeta which hospital he would be taken too, and asked him if he'd like to come with them, to make sure his father was okay.

Shaking his head, Vegeta said "No, that's okay... I don't want to go..."

Nodding at him, without understanding his logic, the ambos left taking Mr. King with them.

Standing as they were, in front of the burnt out shell of the King's home, an awkward silence fell over them.

Mindful of the stares of the other neighbours, who watched from nearby, Bulma suggested that, maybe, they should go back home.

Nodding at her the Son's agreed, but not before Bardock said, pointing in Vegeta's direction with his thumb, "What should we do with him?"

Vegeta had returned to the remains of his home, and was poking through a pile of charred possessions.

Bulma looked at him sadly, feeling terribly sorry for this young man, whose life kept taking one bad turn after another.

"I know!" Bunny said brightly, "We have a spare room, and I'd hate for it to go unused when this poor dear could so desperately need it."

Bulma was shocked by her Mum's offer. She couldn't seriously imagine Vegeta accepting it.

Taking it upon themselves to try and convince him, Bardock and Bunny went over and began to talk to Vegeta who, looked at first surprised then that quickly became a scowl.

He crossed his arms over his chest and kept shaking his head.

Krillin came running up to them, breathlessly saying "Whoa! What happened?"

"Fire." Radditz grunted, his attention like the others, on the adults who were still talking to Vegeta.

"No kidding." Krillin muttered with raised eyebrows. "Was anyone hurt?"

Nodding, Bulma said "Mr. King was, I think. They've taken him to the hospital."

"Damn!" Krillin whistled. "What about Vegeta?" he said nodding in his direction.

"We don't think so," Goku answered quietly, "I think he's alright, he doesn't look hurt."

"Man, their house is totalled!" Krillin then said, "Where are they going to live now?"

"Mum's trying to get Vegeta to stay with us... For now at least." Bulma said without much enthusiasm. She really didn't think there was much hope in Bunny being able to convince him to stay.

Krillin's eyebrows shot up again in surprise at this, and he whistled between his teeth.

The Arson Squad then came over to Vegeta, to tell him what they had found.

It seems the fire had been caused by faulty wiring in the wall, in a bedroom at the back.

It was very lucky, they further said, that no-one was killed as the fire had quickly enveloped the apartment because all the rubbish inside had acted as fuel.

Saying it was now a matter for the Insurance company, they left.

Bardock, finally nodding his head, came over to the youths and told his sons, "He's staying, for now at least."

Everyone was stunned.

They had all, even Goku, been expecting him to flat out refuse.

Bulma wondered idly, what had convinced him to stay. Surely it wasn't because he _wanted_ to live with them, for now at least.

No, she reasoned, there must be something else.

Walking happily over to them, Bunny beamed at Bulma before beckoning a reluctant Vegeta to join them. He did so with ill grace.

Seeing that everything was sorted, Bardock went to leave, saying to Bunny before he left "If there's any trouble, you come get me. Immediately." he punctuated the last part be waving a stubby finger at her. She simply nodded and smiled serenely at him.

Satisfied, Bardock gathered his son and they made their way back downstairs.

Krillin, looking at them sheepishly said "Uh, yeah... I'd better be going too. Don't want to worry my Ma..." and he fled.

"Well now." Bunny said sweetly "I think we should be heading home too." She look at both Bulma and Vegeta expectantly. Then nodding, she led the way back home.

Bulma, following her mother, was very mindful of Vegeta walking behind her.

She could feel his stare as though it were a tangible thing. It made her feel nervous and fluttery. She was staring to think this was a bad idea.

Reaching their apartment, Bunny let them inside. As soon as they were in the light of inside, it became apparent that Vegeta hadn't escaped the fire unharmed.

His face was bloody from a cut above one eye, and his cheek looked swollen and bruised.

Bulma was shocked by his appearance. He looked dreadful, covered in blood and ash from the fire.

Bunny must have thought so too, because the first thing she did was to order him into the shower.

When he protested that it wasn't necessary, Bunny bristled, coming about as close as she ever did to anger, and said firmly "Listen to me, young man. There is absolutely no way that you are going to stay in my house and remain in that state!"

Bulma fully expected Vegeta to leave at that point, but surprisingly, he agreed, with only some reluctance, and allowed himself to be shepherded to the bathroom.

Bulma watched with amazement as her mother easily handled the grumbling teen, making him shower, shave and put on clean clothes, and all with only a steely glare.

Bulma resolved, after watching with much amusement, to never again underestimate her mother's impressive powers of parenting.

Leaving Bulma in charge of showing Vegeta to his room, Bunny retreated into her own, but not before giving Bulma a very obvious wink.

Rolling her eyes at her mother, Bulma led Vegeta to the spare bedroom. He followed her reluctantly.

Leaving him in the room with a quiet goodnight, to which he didn't respond.

Lying awake in her room, some hours later, she couldn't get the images of tonight's events out of her mind.

Finding it no use trying to sleep, she got up and made her way to the kitchen for a drink of water.

Going past the spare room, she noticed the door was open. Going to the doorway she said softly "Vegeta?"

Not getting an answer she hesitantly went inside. Vegeta was sitting on the bed his head in his hands.

Looking up as she entered she saw, with shock, that he had been crying. He wiped his eyes quickly under her gaze.

Feeling as though she said seen something she really shouldn't have, she went hurriedly to leave the room, saying "I'm sorry, I-"

"I just left him there..." Vegeta said.

Not understanding what he meant, Bulma said "What...? What do you mean." she didn't think she'd like the answer.

"My father." he replied emotionlessly, "The house was burning down and I just left him, lying there like that..."

Now she was confused.

"No you didn't Vegeta. You helped him, you saved him. Don't you remember?" Now she was worried that maybe he had hurt his head in the fire.

"Not at first, I didn't. I saw him, lying there, drunk and helpless, and I just... I just left him..." he trailed off staring blankly at his hands.

Bulma stood there, riveted to the spot in horror at the implications of what Vegeta was saying. It couldn't be... he can't mean...

"Do you have any idea," Vegeta continued "what it feels like... to wish, with all of your heart, that your father would die?"

He looked up at her, his eyes burning in the darkened room. "And then to have the chance to make it happen? With no consequences?"

"No..." she whispered "No, I don't"

She couldn't imagine _ever_ wishing her father to be dead, not even after what he had done to her and her Mum.

It was just wrong.

She was beginning to wish that she had never come into Vegeta's room, never heard him say what he had said.

He stared at her, his eyes searching her face, as if would somehow forgive him, as if she could somehow save his soul from it's damnation.

She couldn't bear it, the weight of his stare. It was too much to take.

She fled from him, not daring to breathe until she was safely back in her room.

AN – See, what did I say? A bit too much maybe? Please let me know!


	17. Chapter 17 - She Burned Me Down

AN – Thanks to all who added me and my story to their favourite/alert list. And a special thanks to ohallo4 for the very appreciated review. I'm so pleased to hear that you find my characters believable as I do worry over that.

Chapter 17 – She Burned Me Down

Making his way to school, to start his second week at Orange Star High, Goku was enveloped by an air of awkwardness.

He tried to study his companions, but they weren't making it easy for him.

Krillin, walking beside him, hands on his head, was staring at the sky.

Bulma, who was behind him was staring at the ground.

And Vegeta, the surprise inclusion to their group, seemed to be staring at anything but Bulma.

They all also appeared to be deep in thought.

Goku wondered what they were all thinking about.

Maybe the same things he had been.

His thoughts, until his co-walkers weirdness had caught his attention, had been going over Saturday's fire.

Bulma had told him, when they had briefly run into each other yesterday, that Vegeta's dad was doing better and had woken up. She and her Mum had been going to take Vegeta to visit his father.

Goku wondered how that had went, since from what he had seen, they didn't get along very well.

He would have to remember to ask Bulma later, when Vegeta wasn't there.

That was the other thing Goku had been thinking about, Vegeta's presence.

It had been a shock, for both he and Krillin, when Bulma had announced that Vegeta would be joining them today.

She had said this in a tone of voice that dared them to argue about it, so they had wisely kept their mouths shut. Vegeta for his part had merely looked at them sullenly.

Finally reaching the school gate they went their separate ways as Vegeta, thankfully, was in another class.

Goku was glad of it so he wouldn't have to sit through any more awkwardness during his lessons.

Krillin, now that there was only the three of them said, in a whisper being mindful of Bulma's presence, "How weird was that?"

Goku nodded. "I know right?" he said.

"Am I glad that it's over" Krillin added, heading for the lockers, "At least now things are back to normal."

Reaching the locker bay, the two boys were suddenly aware that there was someone at the locker in between theirs. It was a statuesque, blonde haired girl.

"Hey," Krillin said to her "I guess you're new here. Nice to meetcha."

She turned slowly and stared at Krillin coolly.

Krillin, his smile faltering, said "Uh... okay... I'm Krillin by the way. This big guy here is Goku." he added waving in Goku's direction. Goku nodded at her smiling.

She fixed Goku briefly in her icy stare, before turning it back on to Krillin, who was still trying to talk to her, her eyes narrowing with every word he said.

"So, uh, maybe, as you are new here, you might want someone to show you around..." Krillin gulped, "Or maybe not." he added quickly, noting the dark way in which she was looking at him.

"I don't need your help." she finally said frostily, shoving her books into her locker with some excessive force.

She then turned and stared at Goku expectantly, an eyebrow raised, her arms folded over her chest, until he got the hint and moved out of her way.

She then stalked away from them with a toss of her head.

"Whoa..." Krillin said faintly to Goku after she was gone. "I wonder what I said wrong?"

Goku was puzzled too.

"I dunno." he said shrugging at Krillin. "I don't think you said anything wrong."

They stowed their books and headed for Home Group, Krillin talking as they went.

"I wonder who she is, that new girl. You know, what her name is, where she came from, what school she used to go to..." he sighed with a shrug. "I guess we'll never know it all."

Goku was confused "Why don't you just ask her?" he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Krillin looked shocked "What!" he spluttered "Are you kidding me?"

When Goku looked at him, puzzled, he explained "You saw the way she looked at us! She'd eat me alive."

Goku wasn't sure of that. "Maybe she's just shy?" he said, thoughtfully scratching the back of his head.

Krillin shook his head. "Nah, mate. Somehow I don't think so. I've seen shy before, and that definitely wasn't it"

Letting themselves into their Home Group classroom, which was in it's usual raucous state, they saw the blonde girl sitting at a table near the front of the class.

Avoiding her like the plague, they darted for a spare table near the back, before Goku, aware of a frown being levelled in his direction, turned and saw Marron waving him over to where she was sitting at the very rear of class.

Muttering an apology to Krillin, he made his way to Marron's table.

They didn't have to wait long to find out the new girl's name.

Ms. Snake, reading the class role, today called for a Gero, Eighteen, to which the blonde raised a slender hand.

Eighteen, huh, Goku thought idly to himself.

What a weird name!

Maybe her parents were crazy hippies who named their children after what number child they were.

Goku frowned at this, thinking it was very unlikely that Eighteen had _that_ many siblings.

Maybe her parents were mathematicians who were in love with numbers? Yeah, that sounded more reasonable.

Maybe one day, when he worked up the courage, he'd ask her.

Marron, for her part, seemed to view the new girl as a threat, one who was disrupting the dynamics of the class.

Her solution to the problem, was to make it her agenda to befriend the girl, stating that by having her in their group she would no longer have to worry that she might be a boyfriend stealer.

Goku promised her that this was very, incredibly unlikely, to which Marron tutted at him, telling him sweetly that "It just looks that way to you 'cos you are a boy. You don't understand how girls think."

Goku, more confused that ever, was beginning to believe her.

At recess as he and Marron made their was to their usual sitting place, at the table under the tree, they were joined by Yamcha who asked, "Have either of you seen Bulma? I lost track of her when class ended and haven't been able to find her since."

Shaking his head Goku said "No, I haven't, sorry."

Yamcha sighed heavily, saying "No, don't worry, it's okay. Well, for you at any rate 'cos if I don't find her soon, I'm a dead man." Shrugging helplessly at Goku he took off, going in the direction of the girls toilets.

When he was out of earshot Marron turned to him and said scoldingly "Now you wouldn't ever lose me, would you Goku?"

Alarmed by her tone, Goku hurriedly soothed her, saying "No, Marron. Of course I wouldn't."

She clapped delightedly, and latched on to his arm, cooing "You _are_ so good to me, dearest."

Then she looked up at him very seriously, her good cheer gone. "You know that I would never, _ever_, put up with the things that Bulma does with Yamcha, don't you?"

Goku gulped with worry, saying "Of, course Marron. Whatever you say."

Suddenly she was all smiles again, hugging him even tighter.

"Ohh!" she squealed with pleasure. "We are going to be _sooo_ happy together!" Goku sincerely hoped so.

Meanwhile, behind the bike shed on the outskirts of the school grounds, Bulma was greatly hoping something too.

If I can only get him to say more than one sentence to me I'll be happy.

Wanting desperately to make things less awkward between them, she had come here in search of Vegeta, and sure enough she had found him here, alone, smoking a cigarette.

Walking coyly up to him, she had stopped some distance away, and asked him sweetly for a ciggie.

He merely grunted at her and didn't look her way.

Dropping her cute act immediately, she pouted at him, hands on her hips and demanded "Well, are you going to give me one or not?"

Looking at her sideways, he finally sighed and offered he the carton.

She took one graciously, holding it out for him to light. He did so with ill humour.

When she settled herself down on the ground beside him, he scowled at her.

When it became apparent that his frowning would not make her leave, he seemed to settle on attempting to ignore her presence, something she was sure to make impossible.

"So..." she said, mustering up the courage to speak, "I've been thinking, about what you said to me the other night..." she left it open for him to step in.

He didn't.

So, continuing she said "It wasn't your fault you know. The fire itself was an accident, and I think, that under your circumstances, that anyone would have acted the way you did... Probably"

He didn't answer her.

Wrapping her arms around her knees, she went on "You did the right thing anyway, in the end. You saved your father. That's what's important. I think -"

"I don't wanna talk about it." he said stiffly, flicking his cigarette away from him. He turmed then and started to walk away from her.

"Vegeta, please..." she pleaded reaching out and grabbing the hem of his shirt.

He stopped, going stiff, before turning to face her slowly, his face looking bleak.

"I just wanna... I need to talk to you about -"

Suddenly he dropped down in front of her in a crouch. She let go of him in surprise.

"Let's get this straight." He grated out of clenched teeth, "I don't _ever_ want to talk about it. Not to you, not to anyone. It was a mistake to mention it in the first place. I can promise you it won't happen again." He said, his voice cold, his eyes full of emotion.

Leaning back from him, a little afraid, she whispered "... Vegeta, I'm sorry, I -" His eyes narrowed.

Suddenly remembering her pride, she stared him down, leaning towards him, giving him a steely glare of her own.

How dare he try to intimidate me! She thought.

A multitude of unreadable emotions flickered across his face at her display of bravado.

Slowly, cautiously, she lifted a hand, and gently touched the side of his face.

It was as if her act had broken a trance.

Immediately pulling his head away, Vegeta stood up and briskly stalked away from her, without looking back.

She watched him go, feeling a sudden confusing rush of emotions envelop her.

Getting up on shaky knees, she had never thought, on coming here to talk to him, that she would experience such strong feelings about him.

She had never even thought she _could_ feel them for a boy. Feelings of anger, worry, hope and despair, warred within her, causing her to feel giddy.

Leaning against the fence for support, she placed her hand over her mouth, her mind racing.

"Hey Babe, I've been looking for you!" Yamcha cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts.

He came up behind her, and when he saw how she was standing asked "Hey, are you okay?" his voice was full of concern.

Spinning around to face him, she plastered what she hoped was a convincing smile on her face and said. "Of course I am! I'm perfectly fine." She lied quickly.

Yamcha didn't look convinced. "If you say so..." he said doubtfully, "Anyway, is this where you've been? I've been looking everywhere for you! What were you doing out here anyway?"

"Oh... I was just... Having a smoke. That's all. I didn't wanna get caught..." she finished lamely.

Yamcha, looking more doubtful than ever, said "O-kay then, what ever you say. As long as you're alright."

It was unusual for Bulma to go anywhere without either himself or Marron in tow. She usually preferred to carry on like they were attached at the hip.

She smiled at him reassuringly, saying "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be? C'mon let's get back to the others before recess is finished. I still need to talk to Marron about that new girl in class."

She took him by his arm and led him towards the courtyard, beaming at him confidently.

He smiled back at her in genuine happiness, saying "Yeah, of course. Whatever you say, Babe!"

Bulma felt guilty, then. But why? She thought. It wasn't as if I did anything wrong, right?

She wasn't sure.

Maybe it's because Yamcha's such a good guy, coming looking for me all this time? Yeah, that's probably it...

She hoped so.

Later on that day, as he was retrieving his books from his locker, Goku waited for Krillin to arrive.

When he saw his friend's bald head in the distance, not getting any closer, he went to investigate.

Finding Krillin doing what could only be described as hiding behind a rubbish bin, Goku asked him what was wrong.

"Have you seen her? Is she there yet?" was the response he got.

Not following his friends meaning, he asked "Her? What are you talking about?"

Krillin looked at him like he was joking and said "Eighteen, of course!" like it was obvious. Now Goku was sure he had no idea what was happening said "So, you are hiding from Eighteen?"

"Shh!" Krillin hissed, waving his hands at Goku "Not so loud!"

He looked around, to make sure there was no-one listening, before continuing "And, no, I'm not _hiding_ from anyone. I'm simply taking a tactical position."

Feeling more confused than before, Goku said "And why are you doing that?"

"So she won't see me." Krillin replied.

To Goku it sounded an awful lot like hiding. "Why don't you want her to see you, anyway" he asked, feeling he needed an explanation.

Krillin looked at him considering, before he told Goku in a rush "Iranintoheratluchand-"

"Whoa! Whoa, slow down, slow down." Goku pleaded.

Taking a deep breath, Krillin said "I ran into her at lunch and I talked to her."

Goku was impressed. "You actually talked to her?!"

Krillin shrugged "Well... sorta."

"What do you mean, sorta?" Goku said "You either did or you didn't."

Krillin , losing his patience, said "I did, alright! Geeze, thanks for the show of faith in me mate."

"Well!" Goku said excitedly, "What did you say to her?"

Looking incredibly sheepish, Krillin admitted "Not so much. I asked her how she was liking school so far... What she thought of the weather... "

"And?" Goku asked expectantly.

"And... nothing." Krillin finished in a small voice "She got up and walked away."

"Man, mate. That's rough." Goku said sympathetically.

"At least she waited until I finished talking this time." Krillin said hopefully "Right?"

"Yeah, of course!" Goku said bracingly. "It's a start."

Smiling at each other the two boys made their way to the school gates and through them to home, passing the time with small talk.

They were completely unaware that they were being followed.


	18. Chapter 18 - Can't Lose You

AN – A short chapter but I feel it's necessary.

Chapter 18 – Can't Lose You

Making sure to stay at a safe distance from her classmates, Chichi watched them as they walked, laughing and talking to each other and couldn't help but feel dejected.

Once, briefly, she had been included in those conversations and those jokes.

Although it hadn't lasted long, those two days, however short, had been among the best of Chichi's school life.

It had very hard for her to admit this to herself.

I mean sure, it wasn't as though she were a loner at school anymore. It was just that the girls she usually kept company with, Mai and Haski, weren't really her friends.

It was more that they tolerated her presence and allowed her to sit with them at lunch so that she wouldn't be alone, something of which Chichi was painfully aware.

She didn't like the fact that they obviously pitied her, but it was, in fact better than being by herself. She'd experienced that before and it wasn't something she wanted to again. Ever.

Those first few weeks of school had been a nightmare, when she didn't know anyone, and no-one seemed to want to know her.

Everyone had talked about her behind her back, saying that she must be a loser, if no-one liked her.

She had heard them of course, and it had hurt. A lot.

Some days she had struggled to go to school, for fear of being talked about and ostracised.

Her parents, as kind as they were, didn't understand Chichi's plight.

School, they told her, was a place of learning, first and foremost. Friendships and social activities must come second.

To their minds the only thing that mattered, was that their daughter school life consisted of good grades.

It had always been this way for Chichi with her parents.

Although loving, they had always been worried about success.

It was because they were immigrants to this country, having come from a meagre existence they had worked very hard to get where they were, and above all else,they wanted a better life for their daughter than the one that they had come from.

That was the reason they pushed her so.

Chichi understood and respected this. It was because of her parents tireless work that she could enjoy the life she led today.

The only way she felt she could repay their effort was to make sure she did well at school. She wasn't the best, but she wasn't by any means struggling.

But success in her classes didn't translate into success with her classmates.

In fact it had had the opposite effect, with Chichi being labelled a teacher's pet and a nerd.

She had quite quickly found herself alone and friendless.

And so it was that way until, one day in year 8 that she had been approached by Mai and Haski, who had offered to let her sit with them.

At first Chichi had been exited at the prospect of friends, but she soon learned that by sitting with them she was actually doing _them_ the favour.

Allowing Chichi to stay with them had made Haski and Mai look gracious in the eyes of their peers, something which garnered them much praise and comments on their kind natures.

It had been a terrible blow to Chichi, when she realised.

She had felt betrayed, insulted, sickened.

Going to school after that had been torturous for her, her days filled with the terror of recess where she must sit through the pantomime of her "friends" inclusion of her in their lives.

But still... Horrible as it felt, it was far better than being alone.

Chichi had consoled herself with the fact that she only had to put up with it until she finished school.

And then had come the day when she had met Goku.

She had honestly thought, when she first saw him holding Puar's books like that, that he was just another big bully, flexing his muscles.

It hadn't been until after Puar had explained that he had in fact been attempting to help her, that she had realised what a genuine guy he was.

Making a lunch for him had been her way of making up for slapping him.

Plus she knew that she was a pretty decent chef, and what teenaged boy would turn down a free meal?

When he had taken it with such true enthusiasm, she had been so surprised by the sudden affection she had felt for him.

He seemed like such a nice person.

And then there was Krillin. She had always been around the diminutive teen, either in class or around the Block, but she had never really spent any time with him.

The reason for it, if she was completely honest, was that she had always felt intimidated by his intelligence and tendency to make jokes.

But by spending time with both boys she had realised that they could be true friends for her.

Plus it didn't seem that they minded her presence.

She had felt so happy being with them, Goku especially.

She had felt, if she admitted it to herself, the beginnings of a crush for him.

But then he had agreed to be Marron's boyfriend and all was lost.

There was no way for them to even be friends now, as Marron never allowed other girls near her men, and besides she had been one of the people who had teased Chichi.

Watching the boys, as she was now, an outsider once more, she felt keenly aware of what she had lost.

She longed to have that day again, that day of easy, fun talk where she felt like she finally belonged.

Sighing heavily, she made her way into her empty home, her parents, as always, away at work.

It had been a lonely life growing up alone and friendless as she was. It seemed to her to be her destiny.

Turning on the telly, so she would have the company of human voices, she sat down at the dinner table to start on her homework.

AN – I hope this chapter turned out okay. Please tell me what you think.


	19. Chapter 19 - Above All Things

Chapter 19 – Above All Things

Making her way home, some distance behind her housemates, Bulma was wrapped in a uncomfortable silence.

Yamcha walking beside her, as he usually escorted her home, seemed to also be feeling it.

He kept shrugging and rolling his shoulders, keenly aware of the glare directed at them both from the third person in their group.

Vegeta, who was stalking along behind them, wore his usual, sullen scowl.

Every time Yamcha would glance aver his shoulder under the weight of that tangible stare, he was met with a dark muttering, almost a growl.

"O-kay..." he said finally, desperate to alleviate the sheer awkwardness of the situation, "So, Babe, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to do something together on the weekend?" he asked her brightly.

"Hmm..." Bulma replied, distractedly. "Oh, I can't this weekend, sorry. Mum and I are taking Vegeta to see his Dad on Saturday, and Tarble's court hearing is on Sunday." She shrugged apologetically at him.

"That's alright, Babe. Next time." Yamcha said quickly, in order to cover his disappointment.

He had been hoping to spend some quality time with his girlfriend, away from their friends, as it had been some time since they had done that.

His reason for wanting to do so had been because he was still feeling his doubts about their relationship, and wanted, greatly, to prove to himself that they were unfounded.

He had still been feeling like he was just going through the motions, and had felt that maybe, he just needed to re-connect with Bulma.

But it looked as though that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Not with Vegeta seemingly taking over his girlfriend's spare time, he thought with a stab of jealousy.

That made him feel guilty, as it wasn't really fair to think that way about Bulma.

It wasn't her fault, after all, that Vegeta now lived at her house, and had the family that he did.

In fact, he should be feeling proud of her for being so accommodating of her house guest, as Bulma had never before been much of a flexible, gracious person.

Yeah, Yamcha decided, once Vegeta was all sorted, and out of the way, things between he and his girl should return to normal.

He smiled at the prospect because he was growing tired of feeling this way. He was eager to return to his usual confident, carefree self.

Bulma, for her part, was also thinking about her relationship with Yamcha.

She wished she could share his confidence in it.

She had come to realise, in the hours since her encounter with Vegeta at recess, that there was something missing from her relationship.

What it was, she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Maybe she was over thinking things. Maybe things in their relationship were fine and she was just being paranoid?

That could be it.

She had never spent so long thinking about it before, her relationship and the reasons she continued it.

It had simply been something that she perpetuated as much out of habit as of any real affection.

This was something she was loath to admit to herself, convinced as she was that she was invested in it for all the right reasons.

But, now that she _was_ giving it some real, meaningful consideration, she came to the realisation, that things were definitely lacking at least in one seemingly crucial area.

It was because of the way she had felt towards Vegeta, when she had touched his face behind the bike shed, that heady, dizzying rush of confusing, conflicting emotions.

It was not something she had ever felt for Yamcha.

This worried her, greatly.

Sure, in the past, she had felt strong emotions for him. Affection, anger, worry, care and exasperation.

They were all things she could admit to feeling for him on a regular basis, all easily identifiable.

But she had never experienced such intense, unnameable emotions for him as she had felt for Vegeta today.

It made her shiver to remember them.

"You alright, Babe?" Yamcha asked her then, interrupting her thoughts. He looked at her worriedly.

Smiling at him with a confidence she didn't feel, she replied "Of course! Perfectly fine."

She suddenly felt terribly guilty to even have been having such doubts about their relationship.

To assure herself, as much as Yamcha, she wrapped her arm around his and nuzzled against him happily. He beamed at her.

Convincing herself that she was being silly, that things were indeed fine between them, she and Yamcha walked the rest of the way home arm in arm, pointedly ignoring the third person behind them, who had caused them both such worry.

Vegeta, walking stiffly behind the now cuddling couple, felt sickened by such a display.

It was, to him, gross and obscene to behave in such a way where you could easily be seen.

Didn't they have any sense of shame? he thought.

Then he remembered who he was dealing with, that vulgar girl and her idiotic boyfriend.

He spat, trying to rid the distaste from him mouth at their public display of affection.

Walking, as he was, some few meters behind them,Vegeta had been using this time alone to think.

It was rare for him to have the opportunity to do so, there last few days, as every time she saw him, which was often unless he hid in his room, Bulma's Mother had been peppering him with questions.

They ranged from asking him has he was, how he was coping, to asking personal questions about his own Mother, something which he was deeply uncomfortable to share.

It was starting to get to the point where he would simply try to avoid her at all costs, something which she made increasingly difficult as she would actively hunt him down when she became worried he was spending too much time alone.

That was a problem for Vegeta.

He _liked_ to be alone.

That way he didn't have to put up with people and their problems.

He also didn't have to be subject to their pitying stares that made his skin crawl.

He hated the fact that people felt sorry for him, as he was the one who felt even more sorry for them!

What with their weakness of being so open and caring. Being like that was only an invitation to getting hurt, Vegeta had learned long ago.

That was what he was thinking about the most, as he made his way back to his temporary home.

He was ruing his own display of emotion to Bulma that night when he had first stayed at her house.

It had obviously seemed to her to be an encouragement to seek him out, like she had, wanting to talk about it some more.

Well, he didn't want to talk about it! Not to her, not to anyone!

It was a mistake to do so in the first place. It had obviously made her feel some sort of pathetic empathy for him, which he didn't want.

And then she had touched his cheek. It had felt...

He raised a hand to his face, then dropped it suddenly, pushing those unwanted, unworthy feelings aside.

He felt ashamed of himself for feeling them, even for a second. Emotions like that were dangerous and insipid, he told himself firmly.

This is what happens, he berated himself, when you open yourself up to someone.

He resolved not to make the same mistake twice.

He would, from now on, make sure not to show any emotions that were weak in front of anyone again.

It was something his father had told him once, one day when he rarely, was almost sober.

"Son," he had said "You must never, ever be weak in front of someone, because they'll use it against you. If you ever listen to one thing I tell you, it's this, you must remember to above all things always be a man."

Vegeta had felt cold in remembering this, the advice from his father, because according to his father's standards, being a man meant having no responsibility for your life and beating your children.

Yet, it was still the only thing his father had ever said to him that had made any real sense.

Vegeta could count, on one hand, all the times his father had been truly kind to him and his brother.

Especially since their Mum had taken off, those times were few and far between.

He used those times as totems against his father's cruelty, telling himself it was only the alcohol or the drugs talking, and that somewhere, deep down, his father loved them.

If only he could believe it now.

He hadn't told anyone that, on the night of the fire, he hadn't been injured trying to escape like they had all thought.

No, those injuries had come thanks to that arsehole taking his rage on learning that his youngest was in jail out on his remaining son.

Luckily for Vegeta his father had become so intoxicated so quickly that he had fallen unconscious before he could do too much damage.

To Vegeta, being only beaten slightly was something to be grateful for.

Watching as the two in front of him made their way, wrapped arm in arm, to the apartments, Vegeta was determined not to make the mistake of ever becoming as pathetic and weak as that.

AN – A very difficult chapter for me to write. I'll bet it shows. I hope it was still good. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.


	20. Chapter 20 - We Were Electrocute

Chapter 20 – We Were Electrocute

On reaching the end of his second week at school, Goku was finally beginning to come to terms with his life as Marron's boyfriend.

Now, as his life was dictated by a strict set of rules, he was starting to realise he had taken his time as a singleton for granted.

His existence before the advent of Marron, although sometimes hard and worrisome, was nowhere near as difficult and tiring as it was now.

He constantly felt like he was walking on eggshells around her as he was extremely sensitive to her fickle moods.

At one minute she was the picture of perfect happiness, the next a frosty face of displeasure. It was always hard for Goku to tell what had caused this sudden change in her demeanour, whether it was something he had done or not.

He had never realised being in a relationship was such a chore. He had always assumed it was something fun and easy, but now he knew that they were entirely hard work.

He had, over the course of the week on the times that they were left alone together, learned from Yamcha that it was this way for him too. His relationship with Bulma, he had said, was one long, wearying string of them breaking up and getting back together.

He had then warned Goku that it probably wouldn't be long now before Marron decided to do the same and break up with Goku. He had also told Goku that although he probably won't understand the reasons why, even if they were explained to him, it was always best to apologise for them anyway.

That way, he had said, you can get back together again sooner, rather than later, and everything would go back to normal. It was for the best.

Sighing heavily as he made his way to his locker at the end of a scorching Friday afternoon, he thought to himself with irritation, well what if I don't want things to go back to normal? What if I want to stay single for a while? I mean, I was happy enough being single before this, wasn't I?

He opened his locker forcefully in annoyance, earning him a cool, appraising look from Eighteen, who had just been at her own locker. She then seemed to come to some sort of conclusion as she nodded once, before turning on her heel and slinking off with a flick of her head.

Bloody girls! He cursed inwardly. He was starting to realise that they were all insane and must derive some sort of perverse pleasure from confusing men. Maybe there was some sort of secret sisterhood that they all belonged too... Nah, he thought, realising that even for his own logic that was going a bit too far into paranoid territory.

Just as he was coming to this not so comforting conclusion, Krillin came cautiously up to the lockers, seeming as though he was trying to look all around himself at once. Goku laughed at his friend as he really couldn't help himself, Krillin looked so funny.

Krillin sidled up to Goku and asked him in a loud whisper, "Is she gone?"

Managing to control his laughter, Goku replied "Yes, she's already been and gone. But boy, have you got it bad."

Krillin, looking embarrassed, said hurriedly "I... I don't know what you're talking about! I was just trying to be friendly, that's all!"

All this week Krillin had been trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, to engage Eighteen in conversation. It hadn't gone well. Each time she had merely sat in silence while Krillin had spluttered on about increasingly desperate subjects, the last time he had tied to talk to her about the weather! Goku remembered feeling both pain and embarrassment for his pal.

And, each time she had waited for him to finish what he was saying before getting up and stalking off in silence. Goku couldn't understand why she didn't just say something to Krillin and put him out of his misery, even if it was to tell him to get lost. Or maybe, the more cynical side of him said, maybe she _liked_ to watch Krillin make a fool out of himself...

Nah... it couldn't be that, right? I mean, she couldn't be that mean, even if she was a bloody, crazy girl. Goku honestly didn't know. But he wished for Krillin's sake she would say something, _anything_ to him soon.

He wasn't even sure why Krillin was so insistent on talking to her in the first place. He said it was just to be friendly, because she was new and hadn't seemed to make any friends yet. Goku hadn't understood why Krillin felt that it was _his_ responsibility to befriend her.

She should be able to do that on her own. Or maybe she didn't want any friends. Maybe she was perfectly happy being alone, Goku had tried to reason with Krillin. He had adamantly refused to believe that, telling Goku that _no-one_ chose to be alone.

Looking at Eighteen, who was always the image of perfect, cold confidence, Goku could believe that she would.

Sighing at the hopelessness of the situation, Goku was just about to tell Krillin that maybe, he should try to talk to her about Electrical Science, as that seemed to be her favourite subject, when they were approached be Marron and Bulma.

"Goku, sweetie." Marron cooed at him, "We need to talk. Alone." she finished pointedly looking at Krillin.

Krillin, taking the hint, whispered "Good luck buddy." before grabbing his bag and taking off. Bulma nodded at Marron and made her way to where Yamcha waited obediently for her.

Marron paused, until the others at their lockers finished and left, before saying "Goku dearest, I've decided-" Goku took a sharp breath, guessing what was coming, "-that we need to have a break. Only for a little while until we sort out just how much we mean to each other. You understand right?"

Goku let out the breath he had been holding. He had known this was going to happen someday but not _this_ soon! He wondered what it was that he had done wrong so he asked her.

Blinking in wounded innocence, she said "Well, honey, I rather thought it was obvious..." She waited for him to respond.

Remembering his conversation with Yamcha, Goku quickly said "I'm sorry, Marron. It won't happen again." Whatever _it _was, he thought in confusion, mentally going over the last two weeks and coming up blank.

She smiled at his apology, as it was clearly what she had been waiting for, then said in a honeyed voice "That's alright, I'm sure it won't. We still need to take a break though, mind, else it won't be a lesson." Then she smiled at him brightly, saying "I still expect you to call me everyday, at least once."

Goku visibly sighed with relief, glad that he no longer had to call her the five times she previously demanded. Mistaking his relief for surprise, she giggled and said "It wouldn't do for you to ring me any more than that now that we are not officially together. It _would_ look a bit desperate don't you think?"

Goku nodded dumbly, his mind a giddy whirl. It must have shown on his face, for Marron, now looking pityingly at him said touching his arm, "I am sorry to do this to you, love, but it is necessary, you understand? Just for now, anyway."

Goku nodded again. This seemed to satisfy Marron, for she finally went to leave the bewildered Goku, making him promise to call her later before she left.

Leaning back against his locker in shock, Goku tried to determine how this made him feel, being broken up with for the first time. He found after considering for a few short minutes that first and foremost he felt relieved and happy about it.

This made him feel guilty, as weren't you supposed to feel at least a little bit sad at the end of a relationship? Maybe he would soon, when it sank in.

Shouldering his bag, Goku dashed though the school, out the gates and towards home, trying to catch up to Krillin so he could tell him what had happened. Maybe, between the two of them they could decide how Goku actually felt about this, as he wasn't liking his own findings. They were too close to glee for his liking.

And, walking home as well, beside her as-for-now boyfriend, Bulma was considering that maybe she too should take a break from her relationship.

While it was true that they had only technically got back together, things just didn't feel right this time. Especially since her encounter with Vegeta a small, nasty voice reminded her.

Like she needed to be reminded. It was something she found that she could not stop thinking about. Even at night it was keeping her awake.

Vegeta, for his part seemed to be having no such problems. In fact from what she had seen of him lately, as he seemed to be avoiding her, he looked like it was not even on his mind at all.

She frowned, thinking again that maybe it really would be best to take a break from Yamcha, at least until she sorted herself out. It was affecting her so much lately that even Yamcha had noticed she was distracted and distant.

As he did now. "Everything alright babe?" he asked her, voice full of concern. She looked up at him as they walked, her face quickly set in what she hoped was a convincing smile. "Of course!" she lied.

He stopped, and said with genuine worry "Are you sure?"

This made her feel terrible. Stopping beside him she looked up at him, face openly showing her emotions, and said quietly "No... actually everything's not alright. I think... I think we need to break up." His face fell. "But Bulma, Babe, we only just got back together, and I've been really good and-" She shook her head, cutting him off.

"No, no, I know you have. It's just... I've been thinking about things, and I need some more time to do so. Alone. It probably won't be for long, but it's something I need to do. You understand right?" She looked at him pleadingly.

Yamcha was stunned. This was so far from Bulma's usual, haughty, confident self. Normally, when they went on a break, it would be because she would blame him for doing, or not doing something too important to forgive or ignore. But... He could see that, this time, she was being honest with him about the reason why, and he respected her too much to deny her.

Plus, he told himself bracingly, she did say it was only for a while. He smiled at her then, and said "Of course I understand. You take as much time as you need."

Bulma felt terrible. He was so good to her really. Why couldn't she be happy with what she had? She smiled at him sadly and said, "I really am sorry..."

He said "I know, me too."

An awkward silence fell on them then, the both of them feeling a rift between them now that seemed to span aeons. Touching her gently on the arm he said "I may not be your boyfriend any more, but I can still walk you home."

She smiled at him sadly, and accepted his offer.

Making his way up the stairs outside the Block, Goku stopped to catch his breath. He hadn't been able to catch up to Krillin after all. Oh well, he'd have to tell him tomorrow.

He was just about to make his way up the stairs again, when he felt that someone was watching him. Turning his head, he caught a glimpse of raven hair before the door of an apartment slammed shut.

He walked to the door and knocked once, hesitantly, saying "Chichi? I know you are there."

After a moment the door opened again, slowly, to reveal a flustered looking Chichi, who was looking at her feet. Goku smiled at her and said "Hey, haven't seen you around school outside of class much. How are you?"

"I'm fine." she said, her lip trembling.

Goku, realising she was on the verge of tears, quickly said "Hey, hey don't cry. I don't care if you were spying on me." He struggled to pull a hanky out of his pocket.

Offering it to her, she looked at it for a moment, before taking it gingerly. He could see that she was crying now. He felt awful. Standing there helplessly, he wished Krillin was there, as he always knew what to say to girls. "Hey..." he finally managed as she wiped her face. "Hey, I'm sorry... Are you okay?"

She nodded silently, before blowing her nose. She went to offer him his hanky back, then thought better of it. "I'll wash it and give it back tomorrow." She snuffled. He told her not to worry about it. She nodded again. They both stood in a tense silence, while Goku frantically thought of something to say. Finally she said "Did you want to come in? My parents aren't home yet..."

Goku, feeling that he really couldn't refuse her agreed to and entered her house.


	21. Chapter 21 - Set Me On Fire

Chapter 21 – Set Me On Fire

Entering Chichi's home, Goku looked around with interest.

The apartment, identical in shape to Goku's own home, was very different in it's furnishings. Many pictures hung on the walls, most of them weren't family photos, but those of exotic landscapes and temples.

Chichi, noticing the direction of Goku's interest, smiled at him and explained, "My parents came here from China you see. The pictures help to keep them from getting too homesick, I guess..."

Goku nodded at her, unsure of what to say to that. She led him to a sparsely furnished lounge room, where an impressive looking shrine stood in one corner. It housed a serene looking figure in flowing robes.

Chichi, steering him to the couch, then asked Goku if he would like something to eat. Goku beamed at her, saying "Well, sure! If you don't mind, that is."

Chichi laughed, her mouth hidden behind a hand. She shook her head "No, of course I don't mind. I'm more than happy too make you something." She then went into the kitchen, asking him what he'd like.

"Anything." He replied truthfully. He was very unfussy when it came to food. She giggled again saying "Okay then. Anything it is."

She disappeared from sight. Goku, now alone with his thoughts, had turned them towards Chichi, who could be heard humming softly over the sounds of cooking. He had never noticed before that she had a really cute smile. This made him blush, he pushed the thought away, telling himself that he was just glad she was smiling now, and not crying, that's all.

A delicious smell began to emanate from the kitchen. Goku's stomach rumbled in anticipation. He hoped that whatever she was making, he didn't know as it smelled like nothing he was familiar with, was as tasty as it's aroma.

Returning to the lounge room, with two steaming plates, Chichi grinned at him, her face flushed from cooking, and handed him a plate. It was a dish of what looked like balls of meat, coated in a sticky, sweet sauce.

Goku tasted it tentatively, then grinned in glee and began to wolf it down. It was one of the yummiest things he had ever eaten. Chichi, giggling at his display began her own meal.

They ate in silence, Goku aware of Chichi's sidelong looks at him from over her food. It made him feel nervous. Finally, when they were both finished, Goku said to her, in complete honestly "Man Chichi! That was absolutely delicious! Thank you!" She beamed at him, before going red with embarrassment and ducking her head.

He then handed her his plate and she returned to the kitchen for a minute before coming back to sit beside him on the couch. They sat in an awkward silence. Goku, mindful of both the eyes of Chichi and the statue on him, began to squirm.

He wished for something, anything to happen to break the mood, when Chichi leaned over and put her hand on his.

Goku was stunned. He sat, stupidly looking at their hands, while a warm, tingly heat spread it's way through his body. He then looked up at Chichi, who was staring at him, her eyes large and luminous.

Her face he now noticed, had a sprinkling of faint freckles across her nose. She really was very pretty, he thought. He was just thinking of something intelligent sounding to say, when she leaned forward and kissed him.

Stunned, Goku sat there and let her. It was a few seconds before his brain kicked into gear and he kissed her back. Wrapping his arms around her, they fell back onto the couch.

Leaving her apartment some time later, Goku hurriedly straightened his uniform before he made his way home.

Standing on the balcony, outside of Bulma's house, Vegeta stood smoking a cigarette. He had come out here not only to smoke, but also to escape the women in the house behind him. Bunny's insistent questions and Bulma's soulful stares were conspiring to drive him mad.

He wasn't quite sure what either of them wanted from him. Well, he thought, finishing his ciggie and tossing the butt away, whatever it was, he couldn't give it to them. Bunny, he knew was harassing him out of some misguided sense of charity. Bulma, on the other hand...

He didn't know what she was after, as he couldn't stand to be in her presence for long. It made him feel things that were annoying, confusing and not at all welcome in his life. His thoughts, he had found, were increasingly drawn to their encounter at school. He tried again, unsuccessfully to push them away.

Why had she done that? His mind ruminated on this question quite often. Why had she touched his face like that? Was it because she felt sorry for him? Was that it? Or was there some other reason...

Well, he asked himself, what other reason could there be? He thought about this for a moment, his face growing hot when an unwelcome answer came to him. No, he determined, that was simply not possible. There could be absolutely no way that that bossy, domineering, loud-mouthed girl could feel anything like _that_ for him. Especially as he had done entirely nothing to encourage such a thing.

What it would mean if she did though... He rarely allowed himself to follow that thought through. It was too confusing, too confronting. It made him feel things, emotions, that were alien in both their name and their nature.

Vegeta liked to keep a short rein on his emotions, rarely allowing them to surface. The times he had lost control, the results of his rages usually cost him dearly. But, looking back on those times now, he was sure that it was rage he had been feeling. Positive.

These feelings that Bulma stirred in him, however...

He was not sure _what_ they were. All he was certain was that they were unwanted.

He sighed, regretting this. If it weren't for these two things, Bunny's annoying queries and Bulma's searching looks, he would have found his new living situation quite tolerable. As it was, his life had improved substantially since he had moved in with them. He was now fed on a regular basis, was clean, and most importantly, he didn't have to fear being beaten.

It was this last part that he was the most thankful of being gone from his life. For now at any rate, he reminded himself as he did any time he allowed himself to get too comfortable in his new circumstances.

It wouldn't be long now before his father would be out of hospital, and re-homed by the Government. He would then, of course want his son back, not because he really cared about him, Vegeta was sure, but because of the pension Vegeta entitled him too.

Vegeta was not looking forward to this, to going back to how his life had been. This made him feel selfish, to be so worried about his own situation, when his kid brother was still in jail. Tarble's court hearing was on the weekend, when a judge would decide whether he would go to juvvie or not. Vegeta hoped that wasn't the case. Tarble was not a tough kid, really, and would be eaten alive.

He was, it turned out quite lucky that Tarble_ had_ been caught stealing. If not for that Tarble would have been asleep in his room the night the fire had started in there, and most likely, would have suffocated to death before the alarm was raised.

Vegeta shivered, thinking how close he had been to losing his brother. He didn't think he could've coped if he had lost him. All his life, he was coming to realise now that they were separated, he had lived for his brother.

Without Tarble to protect and provide for, he felt lost for a purpose and meaning to his existence. Now he questioned his life's reason endlessly, the answers he came up with were not ones he liked.

His mind was just starting back down that bleak road of thought, when he heard approaching footsteps coming up the stairs. Turning his head, he fixed a cold frown on his face and was met by Kakarrot hurrying towards his apartment. When he saw Vegeta standing there, he froze and looked guilty, of all things.

"Uh... hi Vegeta." he said meekly. Vegeta scowled at him.

He didn't want Kakarrot to think they were on a friendly basis, so he said coldly "remember what I told you Kakarrot. You tell anyone what you saw... " he fixed Kakarrot with a deadly glare to emphasise his point.

Kakarrot, for his part simply looked confused by this. "Kaka-what?" he said stupidly.

Vegeta couldn't help but laugh at this. "Your nickname." he said maliciously, "Is Kakarrot."

"Uh... Okay... "Kakarrot said, scratching the back of his head. "It sounds foreign or something."

Vegeta was surprised that he had come to this conclusion on his own. "It is." he said with a stiff nod.

"Oh... cool, I guess." He shifted his feet, looking uncomfortable. Vegeta smiled nastily at this. He always liked to have this affect on people. "What does it mean?" Kakarrot asked.

He considered the merit of answering this question, then decided he should, else he might be continually harassed until he did.

"It means monkey, in my father's language." He said smirking.

"Oh," Kakarrot said, his face falling. "I see."

They stood there in silence while Vegeta considered his next move. He wasn't going to be the one to leave, no matter how awkward things became.

Seeming to realise this, Kakarrot mumbling something about "Seeing, you around." he went to his apartment's door. Looking back at Vegeta before he went in, he smiled hesitantly.

Vegeta scowled deeply at him. Kakarrot closed the door with a widening of his eyes.

Alone on the balcony once more, Vegeta returned to his thoughts.


End file.
